Live To Fight Another Day
by raemanzu and spica tea
Summary: Clones have their place in the universe, beyond the schemes of Palpatine. Events conspire to place Rex and a few of his friends in the path of a new fate, one which will affect the future in ways not even the Jedi could foresee. Canon-compliant (Films TCW). Starts between seasons 5 and 6 of TCW and then continues past season 6. Variety of canon characters. No ships
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Thanks for checking out this fic! We have it plotted out for a good long way, so it should be updating reasonably regularly for a while. You can expect canon-typical amounts of violence and exploration of disturbing concepts relevant to things TCW set up. This should be considered canon-compliant (Films and TCW) though not necessarily likely. No uncanon ships or romance, no descriptive gore, probable major character death later but nothing that defies films (EU not treated as canon). There will be happy cute moments and dark grim moments. The main theme of this fic seems to be major character building for Rex, so if you like him, you should definitely subscribe and stick around for what's to come. Eventually some characters from the original trilogy will show up.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

…

"There it is. Ramatesh." General Skywalker angled the civilian ship so they could get a better view.

Rex kept a hand on the overhead grip and looked down at what seemed like no more than an expansive pile of dark green rubble that had dislodged itself from the adjacent mountain. Of course, he didn't say so—not with General Rancisis sitting right next to him. His thick tail was right next to Rex's foot.

General Rancisis blew a long sigh through his thick white beard. "It is good to come home, but a place once left is never exactly the same. I wonder how things may have changed since last I was here."

"Let's get a closer look," General Skywalker suggested, and they dove as smoothly as this old fixer-upper of a shuttle could manage. As the city came into focus, Rex got a better impression of its size and organization. It looked much more like the ancient and regal capital it was, full of lichen-covered arches that led into vast tunnels and inclines designed by a legless species. He caught glimpses of metallic colors among the aged stone, modern and mainstream technology glinting up from below in the dim light of Thisspias' star.

Rex carefully stepped over General Rancisis's tail. "If there's nothing else, sir, I'll tell the men we're about to land."

"Good idea." General Skywalker glanced at the other Jedi, but General Rancisis was focused on their destination. Rex hesitated, then walked down the short hall behind the cockpit and opened the door into the main cabin full of clones in civilian dress, chatting with each other.

"—just saying, it would be better if we were wearing armor for this mission." Bandana, able to freely display his blue namesake in public for once, was gesturing widely with one hand, encompassing the baggy jumpsuit he'd been given to wear.

One of the long lines tattooed across Trig's temple distorted when he raised his eyebrows. "Heh. What difference would that make? We're not supposed to engage in any battles, we're just here for back up in the worst case scenario. Don't tell me you're scared of the Thisspians."

"Thisspiasians," Study corrected, scratching his stubbly sideburns as he stared out the window.

"I'm not scared of _them_," Bandana huffed, folding his arms. "I'm not _scared_ of anything down there—just I heard the cygnats'll eat you alive if you're not completely covered."

"Oh that's not even the worst of it," came a loud mutter from the back of the cabin. Rex caught a glimpse of the star tattoo between Gripe's eyes. "Let's just hope our slithery friends don't invite any of us to dinner. I hear they only like eating _live_ food. Ask Study, he'll tell you."

"Shut up, Gripe." Bandana kicked out a leg and stood up abruptly as he noticed Rex standing, listening to them. "Captain?"

The company quieted and focused in on him. Rex felt odd in civilian clothes, his arm empty without his helmet nestled under it; he wasn't really surprised that the men were feeling loose out of uniform. In some ways, this didn't yet feel like a real mission.

"Listen up. We're about to land," Rex announced, resting his hands on the pistols at his belt. That brought the men more fully to attention. "Keep your eyes open. Remember, we're only here to serve as backup for Generals Skywalker and Rancisis in case anything goes wrong. They don't _anticipate _anything going wrong. But there's always a chance. And that's why _we're_ here. We need to be ready to act at a moment's notice."

"Yes sir," came a scattered echo around the cabin, and a clone with a single stripe of hair down the center of his head stepped forward.

"Captain, what exactly are we keeping our eyes open for? Separatist spies?"

"Probably not." Rex said, with a brief half-smile at Headline. "From what I understand, the situation here is tense. There are _rumors_ their leader is considering joining the separatists, but General Rancisis says he believes the people are mostly on our side. We're to stand by while the generals find out the truth. If something doesn't seem right, you can tell me, and I'll pass it on to General Skywalker."

"But don't go getting ahead of yourself," Study piped up from the window. "You're not gonna get to be a famous war hero if you offend the Thisspiasians."

Headline shook his head a little bit, hands on hips. "I won't! Captain, do you think we'll have much of a chance to interact with the Thisspi…Thisspiasians?"

"We'll just see how it goes once we're on the ground," said Rex. "If you're concerned about it, you can ask Study to give you a crash course on their species while we're standing by."

"Why _aren't_ we wearing armor?" Bandana asked. "This isn't exactly an undercover operation. Is it?" He winked at Headline.

Rex shook his head abruptly. "General Rancisis believes the locals will take more kindly to our presence here if we don't look like soldiers. That's all we need to know."

"It seems like there's more going on here than they're telling us," Headline said, stroking his chin in an imitation of General Kenobi.

Bandana smacked him on the arm and laughed. "Like Study said, don't go getting ahead of yourself, _General _Headline."

"Bandana's right," Rex said easily. "It's not up to us to know everything. That's the Generals' job. Our job is to be ready to follow orders as they're given. If there's anything more we need to know, I'm sure General Skywalker will tell us."

"Of course, sir." Headline grinned. "I know that. We're just curious, that's all."

"Speak for yourself, hotshot," Trig said.

"Yeah," said Gripe, checking his rifle. "I just wanna get the job done."

The ship bucked a little as it came in for the final descent, and everyone grabbed onto seat backs or overhead grips or each other. Then they touched down, the ship steadied, and the door opened. Everyone stood at attention as General Rancisis slithered between their ranks and down the ramp that was lowering, bringing in a gust of humid earthy air. General Skywalker followed behind, throwing a half-smile at Rex before he and the other clones fell in behind him.

It was windy down on the surface. Rex was slapped in the face by the prickle of sand and saw Bandana tighten his bandana while Gripe's eye twitched against the flapping of his long shirt collar. Beneath them was a smooth black landing pad, and in front of them, set against a deep green fortress-like wall, was a group of three Thisspiasians, all with long, thick beards and hair—Rex could barely see their eyes even once they got closer—and rich brown and red robes. One of them had four arms.

A hot needle stabbed Rex at the base of his skull. In less than a second he whirled to face his attacker, a pistol in his left hand and a mash of insect guts in his right. He stared at the bruise-colored mess.

"Cygnats," Study grunted, swatting one off his head as well.

"Let's hope we get inside before too long," Rex sighed with relief. For a moment there he had expected to find a poison dart protruding from his neck—that's what the bite had felt like. He swatted away another bug that dove at his face.

"They're nearly the size of my hand!" Gripe hissed, smashing one between his palms in mid-flight.

"Keep it down, men," Rex ordered. "It's just a bunch of bugs." Nasty painful bugs, but they could handle it with dignity.

General Skywalker didn't seem amused about the cygnats either, but he brushed them aside with constant lazy waves of his hand, probably repelling them easily with the Force.

"Greetings, Generals," said the first Thisspiasian to reach them, raising a surprisingly feminine voice over the howl of the wind. "Oppo, it is good to see you again."

"Likewise, Issu." General Rancisis bowed his head respectfully. "I trust I find you and the royal family in good health."

"Not all in good health, I'm afraid. You must come and speak privately before bringing the other Jedi with you."

The Generals exchanged a glance. Skywalker looked over his shoulder at Rex and nodded before turning to the other Thisspiasians. "Of course. Just as long as the rest of us can wait inside."

"They are not accustomed to the challenging climate of Thisspias," Rancisis said. Rex barely heard him over the shrieking whine of another cygnat in his ear. Gripe kept grunting out numbers with each new cygnat he managed to defeat. He'd just passed twenty.

"That is acceptable," said one of the flanking Thisspiasians, whose voice seemed much older than the first speaker's. "Follow us."

General Rancisis joined his fellows in slithering ahead of them toward an opening in the slick rock wall. Rex pulled his men up close to General Skywalker, who fell behind the Thisspiasians a few strides. The waving of his arm went wider, and the volume of the cygnats' whining voices went down as they kept their distance.

"Thanks, General," Rex said with relief.

"Nasty little things, aren't they," Skywalker mused.

"Little? They're not exactly little," said Gripe.

General Skywalker grinned mischievously "Are you saying you can handle armies of destroyer droids but not a few overgrown flies? Well, if _that's_ the case, I'll let you get back to business!"

Headline broke in hastily. "What he means to say is, we had 'em under control, sir, but your help is appreciated. Very appreciated."

Skywalker laughed under his breath. "Don't mention it."

"We'll want to treat those bites as soon as we're inside," said Study, brushing bits of cygnat off his shoulders.

"Well… if all goes as planned, killing cygnats will be the only action we get this mission," Rex said half to himself.

Together they passed under the arch and into its deep shadow. The place smelled funny on the outside, and eventually funnier on the inside. Like dust and… something more like sweat, as if the walls themselves were sweating. But Rex had been to a lot of planets and this wasn't the weirdest of them yet.

The door shut behind them. At a fork in the passage, lit by hidden strips between the walls and ceiling, the generals conferred together up ahead, then Skywalker came back to motion them down the right-hand corridor.

The passage opened up into a large cavern which appeared to serve as a town square, probably one of many in the massive capital. The sight of hundreds of Thisspiasians slithering about in crowds between multi-level alcoves and pavilions was certainly like nothing Rex had ever seen among intelligent species. They all spoke in the native language, and the sound of it blended together was like the static crackle of a bad transmitter, amplified and copied over itself.

Skywalker paused at the edge of the crowd, searching for whoever was coming to escort them further, but the crowd suddenly swelled toward them; they were enveloped by a group who seemed only briefly interested in their presence, speaking to each other in raised, emphatic voices as they passed. Instinctively, Rex and his men moved closer to the General.

"Master Jedi!" A voice broke from the cacophony. "Master Jedi, if you'll come this way please. Hurry, before the crowd gets thicker!"

The General shifted through the crowd, and Rex and his men struggled to follow him without stepping on any tails. Rex could only see the back of their new friend's head—all shaggy long black hair—as they were led out of the main thoroughfare, through an alley of sorts and into a smaller chamber which was oddly empty.

"So sorry I'm late, Master Jedi," said the Thisspiasian graciously. "We did not expect Master Rancisis to part ways with you immediately. I'll lead you to a comfortable waiting area, and when it's time to speak to the monarch, I will lead you there as well."

"I appreciate that," said the General, and together they followed their guide through several other deserted hallways until their path ended in a round room encircled by cabinets. In the middle was a table and a few cushioned, backless seats.

"Please, make yourself comfortable," the Thisspiasian gestured in a subtle bow. "Your men may help themselves to any refreshment they find here."

"That's very gracious of you," the General said, a calculating look in his eye. "My name is Anakin Skywalker and this is Captain Rex. You are?"

"Shigir Sab," said the Thisspiasian. "It is an honor to meet you, General Skywalker. And you… Captain Rex." Shigir came very close and coiled in a half circle around where Rex stood, leaning down to stroke his head. "A _pleasure_ to meet you as well."

Rex stood firm and stared up at the alien's hairy face, unable to make out an expression, although what he imagined there made his neck prickle for some reason.

"Thank you… sir," he said, rationalizing that if he used "sir" for Commander Tano, he could use it for this alien of indeterminate gender.

Shigir smirked—that much was unmistakable—and slithered away. "I must go and await orders to bring you to the monarch."

A few moments later, they were alone. At Rex's nod, Trig sat down at the table with Study and Bandana to look at their cygnat bites. The one on Rex's neck was burning worse than it had a few minutes ago.

"What was that all about?" Skywalker asked, grinning at Rex.

"I'm sure I don't know, General," Rex shrugged, rubbing at his neck. "Gripe, go ahead and see what they've left us in the cabinets."

"Yes, sir."

"They're keeping us well out of sight." Headline leaned against one of the cabinets. "Looks like General Rancisis was right about how they don't like soldiers, even when we _are_ dressed like this."

"I dunno, Shigir seems to like soldiers," the General snickered, so that only Rex could hear him.

"Maybe they're just trying to make _us _more comfortable," Trig suggested, pinning Bandana's arm while he treated the bites, already done with Study's. "I'd rather be in here than out in that square. Stop squirming!"

"Oh come on, have a little sympathy," Bandana laughed, wincing every time the soaked gauze touched the sores. "Those suckers hurt a lot worse than I expected."

"Personally,_ I_ prefer the crowds," General Skywalker said, shaking his head. "Whatever's happening out there is bound to be more interesting than sitting in here doing nothing. Seems like an awful lot of people for an average day in Ramatesh."

Rex knew the General well enough to expect that this comment was a precursor to running off and investigating. He was prepared to insist on following him, since trying to talk him out of it would be no use.

To his surprise, Skywalker's sidelong glance and smile at him was followed by a wistful sigh at the ceiling. "Too bad we couldn't be doing this kind of boring mission someplace nice… like Naboo, eh, Rex?"

"Naboo, sir?" Rex asked, not sure why that particular place was being brought up.

"Yeah. Naboo. Or at least, somewhere you might get attention from someone more attractive than Shigir Sab." Skywalker paced overly casually, pretending to examine his gloves. "Like, say… Senator Amidala."

The men had fallen silent behind him after a few whispers of "Senator Amidala?" and "what?" Rex felt uncomfortable without knowing exactly why.

"Well… I… wouldn't put it like that, sir," Rex said uncertainly. "I'm happy to serve wherever I'm placed."

Skywalker barked a scandalized laugh. "Are you saying you wouldn't rather have your head stroked by Senator Amidala than by a Thisspiasian? She'd be pretty disappointed to hear you say that, Rex! Considering how she feels about you."

Rex stared at the General, whose smile had disappeared somewhere in the middle of his second sentence. He looked too serious now. And Rex was so dumbfounded he couldn't make a single word come out of his mouth. He waited for Skywalker to say something that would clarify his intentions.

"Well?" Skywalker prompted. "What have you got to say for yourself?"

"I… I'm sorry, sir, I don't… understand—"

"Yes you do. It's not that complicated. Don't you think the Senator is beautiful?"

Rex hesitated, feeling trapped. He shook his head repeatedly. "Of… course, sir, but… you should know I'd never—it—obviously there's no way—"

"Obviously? What's so obvious about it?" The General put an arm around his shoulders. "Trust me, I know how you feel. Senator Amidala is pretty incredible. You honestly didn't know she thinks so… highly of you?" Skywalker's voice put a weird spin on the last phrase.

"With… respect, General," Rex said quietly, after a deep breath. "I don't think it's appropriate to discuss this—especially not in front of the men."

"What's that supposed to mean, Captain?" asked Bandana. "You're not saying you actually—"

"No," Rex cut in. "I'm not saying _anything_."

"Rex, Rex, come _on_. There's nothing wrong with me passing on a compliment from one of my friends to another, is there?" The General punched him lightly, affectionately on the chest. Rex took a step back now that he was released.

"What…uh," Rex sighed and grimaced in awkward defeat. "What compliment is that, General?"

Skywalker's expectant look held for a moment, then melted into amused exasperation as he rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Relax, Rex. She thinks you're an exceptional Captain with a 'charming personality'. No need to look so terrified."

"Terrified?" Rex protested, but he did relax a little. The General was just having some fun to make the most of a boring situation. No harm done.

"Yeah," Skywalker grinned. "You'd think I was accusing you of something. Just out of curiosity, what would you do if she did show that sort of interest in you?"

"That would be impossible, sir," Rex laughed nervously.

"We are all pretty handsome devils, though, sir," Headline said, grinning. "It's not that impossible."

"Yeah, give us some credit," Bandana chuckled and then hissed. "Ow! Trig, I swear you're doing that on purpose!"

Trig smirked. "I don't think Senator Amidala would go for an overly self-important clone who thinks he looks cool with a big furry fin plastered to his head."

"Guys, we've been through this. It's supposed to be like the fin on my helmet!" Headline explained for the hundredth time, brushing fingers through his hair. "But you're right," he conceded. "If she ever went for a clone, it'd definitely be someone like Captain Rex, someone who stands out! Not because of how he looks, but because of who he is."

General Skywalker looked amused. Rex opened his mouth, flattered and embarrassed, but was too slow.

"You guys are insane," Gripe scoffed from the cupboards. "No offense, Captain, but I agree with you. No Senator would ever think that way about a clone, and if she did, she'd soon realize we're bred for battle, not… anything like that. Who wants to try some of these? They look like eggs. Probably with some baby bird inside or something, knowing this place."

"No, I'm pretty sure those are from another reptilian species," Study started to explain.

"Captain, Gripe, it's your turn to get treated." Trig interrupted. "And put those back, will ya? I don't think any of us wants to try it."

"Hey. Maybe I would," Study said. "Could be interesting."

Skywalker clapped a hand on Rex's shoulder, laughing a little. "Sorry, Rex. I didn't think you'd get so uncomfortable. _Well_… okay, I did. But that's why it made a good joke!"

"Very funny, sir," Rex sighed, smiling reluctantly now that the attention of the men was mostly off him. He knew the General's teasing was a sign of respect—after all, he played jokes with his Padawan all the time. Rex would be honored to be even half as esteemed by the General as Commander Tano.

"But Senator Amidala really did say those things about you," Skywalker went on more seriously. "And I agree with her. You are an exceptional Captain."

"Thank you, General. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how much I look up to your skill on the battlefield. If you get the chance, you can tell Senator Amidala that I think she's an exceptional Senator. But… I'd appreciate it if you didn't pass that along to her in the same way you passed her compliment on to me."

The General laughed. "Don't worry. It wouldn't be as fun the other way around."

Rex sat down in front of Trig and let the trooper clean and treat the bites on his neck. The antiseptic _did_ sting.

…

At long last, after General Skywalker had paced a hole in the floor and the troops had finally gotten tired of trading "one time on Coruscant" stories, Shigir came slithering back into the nearly-silent room.

"The monarch and Master Rancisis await you, General Skywalker," said the Thisspiasian. As Rex and his men stood to follow, Shigir's furry mouth twitched. "I'm sorry, but your soldiers will have to continue to wait here. The monarch will not allow anyone but you and Master Rancisis to be present in his chambers at this time."

Skywalker looked thoughtfully between Rex and Shigir, brow furrowed. He held out a hand toward Rex. "It's alright. We've got our wrist communicators… I'll call you if I need back up."

"But sir, we don't know our way around this place. How will we find you?"

"Just ask where the monarch is," the General shrugged. "It'll be fine, don't worry. If nothing else, you can follow my communicator's tracking signal, or send someone back to the ship and use the scanners to figure out where I am."

"Will do, sir. Good luck." Rex saluted.

Skywalker saluted back lazily and walked away.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Headline, frowning. "How are we supposed to do our duty and protect him when he could be on the other side of the city?"

"He's a Jedi," Rex said. "He can take care of himself."

"Yeah, you get used to it serving under that guy. He likes to jump right into the action, and it's up to us to keep up or stay outta the way," Gripe said. "He always gets the job done, though."

"In case you haven't noticed, there is no action going on here. General Skywalker knows what he's doing," Rex insisted, sitting back down at the table. "So unless you've noticed anything actually wrong with this situation, I'm not going to bother him about it."

"The walls," Study said, chin in one hand, motioning at the tunnel they came from with the other.

"What? What about them?" asked Bandana.

"They're designed to block radio communication," said Study. "So we wouldn't be able to contact General Skywalker even if something happened, to him or to us."

"How do you know _that_?" Headline frowned skeptically.

"Heh. How does Study know anything?" Trig scoffed right back. "He read about it before he came!"

"Why didn't you tell General _Skywalker_ about the walls?" Rex asked Study.

"I… I forgot." Study's brow furrowed in guilt and worry. "Until just now, when he mentioned communicators."

"Oh. You _forgot!_" Gripe cried, shaking his head in exasperation. "Well, that's just great. What good does all that studying do if you just _forget_ to pass on the most important information?"

"Leave him alone, Gripe," Bandana sighed. "It's no good complaining about it now. We have to figure out what to _do_. I say we go back to the ship!"

"What good will that do?" asked Gripe earnestly.

Rex tried his communicator. "General Skywalker? General Skywalker, do you copy?"

Everyone fell silent as he tried again. And again. And a fourth time.

Finally, Rex sighed. "Study's right. It's not working."

"So. Back to the ship, right?" said Headline. "And once we get there, we can use the ship's scanners to locate the General. I volunteer to go find him and tell him about the walls."

"Just hold on a minute," Rex said, holding up his hands. "We don't want to do anything that might alarm the Thisspiasians. If something _is_ going on here, we need to make sure we don't let on that we know. I'll go take a look around and see if there's anyone posted to keep us from leaving. I may even be able to catch up to General Skywalker if we're lucky, but I'm not counting on it. So once I give the all clear, we'll make our way back to the ship."

"Yes sir."

Rex gripped Study by the shoulder as he got to his feet. "Better late than never. If you weren't on this mission, we wouldn't even know about the walls."

Study's worried look smoothed a bit. "R…right. Thanks, Captain."

"Trig, I'm leaving you in charge until I come back." Rex pointed and Trig got to his feet with a sharp nod.

"Yes, sir."

"See you soon," Rex shot back. He turned and walked toward the exit into the hallway.

"Good luck, Captain," someone said to his back, and when Rex looked, Headline had a hand lifted.

Rex lifted one back and headed down the corridor, careful to keep his steps quiet. It was longer than he remembered. When he came to a junction, he crept forward carefully and looked in every direction, both with the naked eye and with his binoculars, but there was no sign of Skywalker or Shigir.

When he returned, the others were almost exactly as he'd left them. "Alright! Looks like nobody's watching us. That's a good sign. Let's get back to the ship."

Headline and Bandana cheered, and all five of them hurried to follow him down the corridor.

Once they got to the end and out into the alley, the crowds had thinned a bit. Rex led the way he thought they'd come, but when they reached the end of the street and stepped into the square, he stopped dead.

"This isn't right."

"No," Study agreed. "This is a different square."

"Or the same one from a different angle?" Gripe grimaced.

"We'll retrace our steps," Rex said firmly. "There weren't that many intersections in the alley… we probably only took one wrong turn. Come on."

They turned and headed back the way they'd come. At the intersection they paused, peering down the even narrower alley that bisected theirs.

"I swear we never went down something like that," Bandana frowned.

"Yeah," Rex said. "Let's keep going."

It was quite a long, winding ways before they reached a point in the path where they realized they were one branch of a narrow Y.

"This must be it!" Headline insisted. "The path we're on seems like the natural extension of that one, but _that_ one is probably the one we came down the first time, not even realizing this one existed!"

"I dunno," Bandana mused. "Doesn't look all that familiar to me. And it's going the same direction we already went!"

Headline rolled his eyes. "You're looking down it from the opposite angle, of course it doesn't look familiar! Anyway, who knows how these paths twist around?"

"It's our best chance for now," Rex decided. "Let's see where it leads."

The bickering died instantly and they followed him. The path did wind, bafflingly. And the light that was diffused throughout the cavern was no help in keeping a sense of direction. They came to another intersection, this one splitting into six ways.

"Now this _really_ doesn't look right," Gripe muttered.

"We go back then," Rex sighed. "If we take one of these other paths, we'll probably get even more lost. We have to stick to what we already know."

"Lost?" A voice came up behind them and everyone whirled, weapons in hand. The red-haired Thisspiasian reared back in alarm, long fingers raised in front of their face. "I mean you no harm! You seemed lost and I merely wanted to help!"

Rex waved at his men to lower their weapons. "Sorry. We_ are_ lost… we're trying to get back to our ship on landing pad seventeen." He glanced at Study, who nodded slightly.

"Oh, you are _quite_ lost then," said the redhead. "Unfortunately, I'm in a hurry, but I can give you directions."

"We'd appreciate that," Rex said gratefully.

A few minutes later they were jogging down an alternate route their helpful stranger had promised would get them to their goal more quickly.

"That's the last right turn," Study huffed. "But this is more uphill that it should be."

"How do we know we can trust what that snake said?" Gripe muttered.

"If we get to the end and it's not our ship, we can ask somebody else," said Rex. "Only two more turns to go, right, Study?"

"Right. Two turns up ahead."

Suddenly things were looking right. They came to the same large corridor leading out of the city. Rex found the button to open the doors, and together the six of them ran out into the wind-whipped clouds of dust and cygnats.

The ship wasn't there. The platform only held a small hover-cart for transporting goods off freight ships. They all trotted to a wary halt.

"Careful," Headline said, smacking away a cygnat with his rifle and looking around. "Something isn't right."

"We followed the instructions exactly," Study fretted.

They shifted into a loose circle, covering each other's backs as they looked around and edged toward the corner of the landing pad.

"There it is!" Trig pointed. "There's the ship. It's down there."

And so it was; the ship gleamed dully, at least three levels below them.

"Aw, great! Let's just jump down—if we feel like breaking our legs," Gripe sighed.

"It's alright," Rex said, although he had the nasty feeling this had been intentional. "We'll just go back the way—_the door's closing! _Run for it!"

He led the charge toward the dropping door, but it was already almost shut by the time he could see the shape of a Thisspiasian on the other side. Rex flung out an arm to bring Headline and Bandana to a screeching halt before they could dive under and get crushed.

"We'll find a way to open it," he growled. "And then we'll get to the bottom of this."

"Agh!" Gripe smacked another cygnat off his ear. "I can't wait to get off this rock."

"Study?" Rex asked, dodging the whining insects and examining the panel that seemed designed only to frustrate those who wished to enter without clearance. "Any ideas?"

"Wait a minute," Headline said, glancing at the hover-cart. "Maybe we _could_ just jump down."

"Are you crazy?" Bandana blurted.

"No, no, no, just listen! That cart's thrusters could break our fall!"

"I don't like it," Gripe said hesitantly. "Sounds like you're just guessing."

"It could work," Study admitted. "If we were careful about it. Depends on how strong the cart is."

"May as well check it out," Rex ordered. "I'll keep trying to find a way to open this door. Keep alert. If we were led here deliberately, we might have company soon."

"Bandana and Headline can cover Study," said Trig. "While Gripe and I take care of the Captain."

Rex nodded his approval and set back to work. The keypad wasn't yielding any answers. He pried it off with a multitool from his belt and set about trying to make sense of the cords inside.

"What's that noise?" someone asked over by the hovercart.

"I dunno! I haven't even turned it on yet!" Study gestured at it, baffled.

Something clicked into place like a blaster to the gut. Rex jumped to his feet. "GET AWAY FROM THERE IT'S A—"

His last word was drowned out by an explosion that instantly swallowed the hover-cart in a ball of fire. The blinding flash ate up Study, Bandana and Headline before they had even turned to hear Rex's shout. Gripe and Trig had half a second to jump toward the door before they were knocked flat on their faces, and Rex couldn't see them anymore because the fire sliced into him, pinning him to the door. The world whirled and he thought for a moment the door was tumbling down onto the platforms below, but it never made impact. He just kept falling in a dizzying spiral until he realized he wasn't moving at all. The heat dissipated and the smoke began to clear. All he could see through the bright red haze was the raw remains of friends he'd been speaking to only seconds before. Trig was lying closest, his face still recognizable somehow.

A wave of nausea hit Rex and he told himself it was just from the pain that was pulsing through him with each shuddering breath as he took stock of his body, to find out if he should give in to death or not. His vision was erratic and blotchy. He tried to lift a hand to wipe his eyes, but this was impossible without screaming quietly through clenched teeth.

He looked down, although moving his head at all made it feel like it was determined to abandon his body. His right arm was pinned to the door by a heavy piece of shrapnel, and there was a growing pool of blood under his left leg. He needed to stop the bleeding.

Slowly, he struggled to stay focused on devising what he could use to make a rudimentary tourniquet, even while his vision fogged and he felt his consciousness slipping.

…

"I make no secret of the fact that I think the Republic is corrupt," the monarch hissed calmly, coiled regally on his throne. "But that does not mean I have any plans to leave it yet. If reform from the inside is possible, it is always the better option."

"I agree completely, your highness," Anakin said, almost wishing the monarch had said he _was_ joining the Separatists so that this conversation would be less tedious. "But-"

"The question is, young Skywalker… esteemed friend—" here the monarch nodded to Rancisis "—whether or not the Republic is willing to be reformed… to listen to the criticisms that are being leveled against it from its members. Perhaps if it were, there would not be any need for systems like ours to leave its protection."

"The Republic _is_ willing to listen," Anakin protested. "But in war, certain things have to take priority over others. I'm sure your highness understands that."

"Then it is a question of whether those priorities match mine to a fuller extent than the Separatists' priorities would," the monarch frowned.

"And those of the Thisspiasian people," Rancisis added.

Anakin gave Rancisis a frown before he could stop himself, and then took a deep breath. "From what I know of your people, majesty, and Separatist ideals, it would be better for every—"

The floor vibrated beneath his boots, and a low rumble, just within his hearing, reached his ears. The Force confirmed what he would have already suspected.

"What was that?" Anakin looked at Rancisis. "That was a bomb, wasn't it?" He whirled on the monarch. "Are you trying to make a statement by blowing up our ship, is that it? Or attacking my men?!"

"Anakin—" Rancisis cautioned.

"I know _nothing_ of a bomb!" the monarch looked just as upset as Anakin. "We must investigate this immediately. I won't have disorder and chaos come to my city! If I find out that you have brought it here then perhaps I was right to distrust the Republic!"

"Please," Rancisis sighed, "Let us all be calm and—"

"You can stay here and argue all you want. _I'm_ checking on my men!" Anakin turned and ran, lengthening his strides until he was leaping through the corridors of the palace as fast as he could, startling members of the court as he sped past them and out into the street.

He followed his instincts through a door onto an upper ledge. Down below he saw his ship intact, and felt more dread than relief. That meant the ship wasn't the target. There was a scorch mark and scattered bits of metal glinting on another platform. He leaped, starting his descent, slowing his fall at each level with a little help from the Force.

At last he was across from his goal. He took a running start and leaped the gap between the two platforms, rolling as he landed.

The floor was smeared and scarred a deep red and black from the blast. He inhaled sharply the taste of blood, fuel, and char. Not a man remained standing. There were three shapes closest to the blast's origin… he turned his eyes away from a corner of blue cloth turned purple and black. Bandana. He walked past the three who were certainly dead, found Trig and Gripe, and with a single touch, knew they had died almost immediately. He looked up desperately, searching for Rex, and saw him slumped under a swarm of cygnats by the door.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Anakin yelled, Force-pulling the bugs away from the Captain's body with all the force he could muster. He was rewarded with a weak groan. "Rex? Captain, hang in there!" Anakin crouched by the fallen Captain. Rex lifted his head with effort.

"Ge..general…."

Anakin took in Rex's condition quickly. He saw where Rex had managed to thread a bit of cloth around his heavily bleeding leg, but couldn't tie it tight enough with one hand, the other trapped by the shrapnel. He took up the cloth and cinched it tight, then pulled the debris away.

"Hang on, Rex, we'll get you out of here, you're_ going_ to be fine!" Anakin said fiercely.

A heavy rumble came from the door and Rex cried out in pain as it began to lift behind him. Anakin took him by the shoulders and pulled him away from the opening door, glowering at the two Thisspiasians on the other side. One was Issu, but the other one he hadn't seen before.

"They're here to help, General Skywalker!" Rancisis' voice boomed out over the wind, and Anakin turned in time to see the Jedi's serpentine form sailing through the air onto the platform. Rancisis slithered quickly over to him, dismay clear on his face. "Did any of them survive?"

"Just the Captain," Anakin said tightly. "And he might not if we don't do something quickly!"

"I'm a doctor," said the unfamiliar Thisspiasian. "Let me see."

"Trust him," Rancisis urged. "It's our only chance to save the clone."

Anakin reluctantly moved aside so that the doctor could lean in and examine Rex, whose ragged breaths were going dangerously quiet.

"Stay with me, Rex," Anakin growled, barely noticing when a cygnat glanced off his metal arm.

"He's lost too much blood," the doctor sighed. "The wounds can be repaired, but not if his body is too weak and depleted to do so."

"Then he is as good as dead," Rancisis said softly. "They must have been lured here by someone."

"Who could have done this?" Issu cried. "I swear we will track down whatever terrorist set this trap. We will have justice for these soldiers. Doctor, can you ease his passing?"

"No!" Anakin snarled. "We're _not _going to put him down like that! He can still make it! We just have replace the blood he's lost!"

"But all the other clones are dead," Rancisis pointed out. "There is no one of his kind to give the blood needed. There is no way to synthesize such blood here on Thisspias."

"I can do it!" Anakin jabbed a thumb at himself. "Clones are human. I'm human. We have to try!"

"It would be kinder to let him pass," the doctor said. "He is already nearly gone. Clones can be replaced."

"Not this one!" Anakin shook Rex and grinned guiltily as the captain grunted in pain. "See, he's still with us. He's my responsibility and I say we do the transfusion! _Now!_"

The doctor looked at Rancisis, who gestured helplessly. "It is his decision. There is no harm in trying, is there?"

Anakin stared grimly until the doctor nodded, checked Rex's leg and the rest of him for broken bones, and gave Anakin permission to lift him.

Once they were back in the city, a stretcher was fetched. Rex had gone limp shortly after Anakin had picked him up, but Anakin could tell he was still breathing. A few long, torturous minutes of walking later (Anakin reminding himself that he couldn't just jump ahead with Rex, not without the others along to explain), they were in the nearest hospital. Uniformed Thisspiasian medical professionals surrounded them, whispering in their own language. They laid Rex carefully on an operating table and motioned for Anakin to lie down on the bed that had been wheeled next to him.

Anakin glanced at Rancisis, hesitating. The Jedi Master had been adamantly opposed to his becoming a Jedi Knight. Ever since then it had been hard for him not to feel slighted by the Thisspiasian. But he had to set that aside now.

He whispered, "I'm trusting you to watch my back. After all, we don't know if we can really trust anyone else here."

Rancisis' furry brow raised. "Please, young Skywalker. If the monarch has said he knew nothing of the bomb, then he knew nothing of it. But I agree that we must be cautious. I feel that the doctor's hesitancy is a good sign. If he wished to cause harm to you, what better way to do it than through a medical operation you requested yourself? He would not hesitate in that case."

"It's not me I'm worried about. It's Rex. Keep an eye on him too. I don't want them giving up on him without my permission."

"Very well," Rancisis sighed.

Anakin laid down on the bed, and shook his head when the doctor reached for his droid arm.

"You won't be getting any blood out of that one." He pulled up his sleeve to show him, then rolled up the opposite one, taking a deep, calming breath as the needle went in. He wondered, as he often had, whether it was possible through the Force to help someone hold on to life. If, by bending every bit of his will toward wishing a friend to live, the scales of life and death would tip more decisively toward living. It was always worth a shot. There wasn't much else productive he could do with his mind at the moment. Rex was the only witness they had of the attack, and he wouldn't be giving them any hints about his attacker for a couple of hours at least.

The doctor hooked Rex up to the transfusion machine and set about treating his wounds.

Anakin closed his eyes and imagined his blood, his strength flowing out of him and into Rex. He knew Rex was a fighter. If he could just give him a head start on cheating death, Rex would do the rest on his own.

…

It sounded like it was raining. Or the wind was blowing, maybe. But Rex felt sick and the peaceful sounds around him were out of place, a delusion. The rain or wind seemed to be saying words, and his body felt like it was being held in the claws of a monster, stuck and swollen in several places.

"Ugh," Rex groaned, struggling to open his eyes. They were so heavy. But he had to see what he was up against.

Lit from behind, beady eyes blinked at him out of a mat of hair, and long claws hovered over his face. The wind was the whispering of other monsters all around him.

"Wh—agh—" Rex made to reach for his pistol with the arm that wasn't _quite_ as much torture to lift, but his muscles weren't obeying, and the monster pushed his hand down slowly, back onto a smooth surface. Effortlessly. He was so weak. He hoped the thing would kill him quickly.

"Rex? Hey, Rex, it's okay. You're safe. How are you feeling?"

General Skywalker's voice.

"General?" He meant to say it quickly, but it took conscious effort to continue past the first syllable. "Where am I? Where…where are… you?"

Rex felt a hand on his shoulder, and Skywalker's face came into view, grinning for a moment before turning serious.

"We're still on Thisspias. You're in a hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Rex blinked heavily and the bodies flashed against the inside of his eyelids. He groaned a sigh. "Study…."

"Study's dead," Skywalker said gently.

"I know." Rex winced as he turned his head to look at the General better. "So is everyone else."

"What happened?"

"We were… trying to get in contact with you. But we couldn't find our way back to the ship. Someone trapped us on that landing pad… the cart was a bomb."

"Did you see who did it?"

"No... sir." Rex took a deep breath and flinched. "I didn't see a face. But there was someone who locked the door on us. And there was the one who led us there. Red hair."

"Thisspiasian?"

"Yes... And the one who locked the door on us."

"Well, don't worry," Skywalker sighed, frustrated. "The monarch is investigating this. It looks like it wasn't organized by anyone big. Probably just some radical civilian group. I don't think we're in any danger now."

"You don't think they were targeting you?" Rex asked.

"No," the General frowned, looking away. "Probably just… clones."

Rex shut his eyes for a moment, letting their deaths pass through him in a long breath. "They were good men, sir." Headline would never be famous for anything now. Gripe had been the hardest working of any of them, despite his constant complaining. Study's knowledge had been in vain after all, and Bandana and Trig would never tease anyone again. This kind of loss happened every day on the battlefield. But Rex always tried not to forget their names, their individuality.

Another Thisspiasian came into Rex's sight when he opened his eyes. General Rancisis.

"You should thank General Skywalker, Captain. You would be dead right now if not for his determination to save you. It looks like, despite our worries, you've taken well to the blood transfusion and are going to recover."

"What? Wait a minute… blood transfusion?" Rex coughed painfully when he tried to sit up. His head and vision felt a bit clearer now. It was easier to talk. "Sir, what is he talking about? From where? Who?"

Skywalker gave a crooked smile and tapped his own chest. "Don't mention it, Rex. The worst part was just lying around for hours waiting to see if it would work. Just hurry up and get better. You know how much I hate waiting."

"Sir… I…." Rex stared at the General's satisfied expression, overwhelmed. "I don't know what to say."

"Just a quick 'thank you' would be fine," Skywalker said smugly.

"Thank you… General…" Rex said slowly, sincerely. That anyone, much less a Jedi, would bother to give blood to a clone... Only someone as crazy as General Skywalker could have thought of such a thing. If he'd been told this by General Skywalker directly, he would have thought it was another prank, but Rancisis wasn't the type to fool around.

"You're welcome." Skywalker folded his arms with a stern look. "Now rest. We'll get you into a bacta tank as soon as we can, and then I expect a full recovery."

"Yes, sir. Of course." Rex closed his eyes and welcomed the fog of sedatives over his uneasiness and troubled memories of the explosion.

…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

…

"Threepio, come on, it's me," Anakin protested, standing in the doorway to Padme's place. "You can let _me_ in."

"I'm sorry master Anakin, but Senator Amidala gave me very strong instructions that she not be disturbed by anyone for the rest of the night." The droid twitched his arms in apology.

"Why? What's she doing?"

"I… well, I believe she's working on a very important proposal," C-3PO said, sounding flustered. "She didn't tell _me_ any details, of course."

"Oh, she's just working? I won't distract her then."

"Very considerate of you. I'll tell her you stopped by. Goodnight master Ana—wait!" Threepio's voice went from pleased to scandalized in the space of a syllable. "Wait a minute, what are you doing? I said I'm sorry, sir, but you can't come in!"

Anakin pushed past the droid with a soft laugh. "Have a little gratitude, Threepio! I'm the one who built you!"

"Yes," C-3PO said, hurrying after him, arms nearly flailing in their brisk up and down motion. "And you are also the one who asked that I serve Mistress Padme to the full extent of my capabilities! I hope you'll forgive my saying so, but I don't see how I can do that when you—"

Anakin put a hand up with an overly serious look. "_Stop_," he hissed in a stage whisper. "You'll distract Padme."

The droid jutted his head in the silent equivalent of a huff, then walked away jerkily, muttering under his breath about being given conflicting imperatives and "it's a wonder my circuits haven't been tied in knots from all the contradictory information I'm asked to work with!"

Anakin grinned fondly at Threepio's crotchety fussing, and went to the door of Padme's study. As it swooshed open, he caught half a second's glance of her bent over her work table before she looked up in annoyance which quickly turned to surprise.

"Anakin! What are you doing here?"

"I'm tired of being around other Jedi and clone troopers," Anakin said simply. "But I didn't want to sit alone in my room at the Temple, either. I promise I won't bother you if you're really busy."

"It's alright," Padme said, coming to hug him hello. He held her tight, always treasuring the warmth of human contact. He got so little of it from anyone but her. "I could use a break for a few minutes. It's good to see you, Ani. Obi-Wan told me that your mission to Thisspias didn't go as well as it could have."

"Politically, it went great," Anakin said dryly as she released him. "The monarch made us lots of promises that he would root out whoever had a grudge against us. But I don't really feel like talking about that right now. What are you working on?"

"Oh." Padme's brow furrowed and she rubbed at the skin that creased between her eyes. . "It's a proposal… related to the Republic's involvement with Mandalore. It's such an important system, and things have been so chaotic there lately. The Republic needs to be extremely careful in how it relates to Mandalore from this point on, otherwise we could be paving the way for total Separatist control in the Outer Rim." She laughed faintly. "But I don't really want to talk about that right now either. Have you seen Obi-Wan since you've been back?"

"Not yet," Anakin shrugged. "I had to take the only surviving clone on my team to the hospital, and then there was a debriefing and… you know how it goes."

"I was just wondering. I haven't seen him or heard anything from him since… well, since Satine was killed." Padme sat down, looking exhausted.

Anakin instantly sobered. He knew Padme had also considered Satine a friend. "Yeah. He hasn't said much to me, but I can tell he's trying his best to put it behind him. Are _you_ alright?"

Padme nodded, staring off. "Mostly I'm just tired. I'm tired of this war."

Anakin sat next to her. "Me too."

"Really?" Padme said, leaning against him. "Sometimes I think you're too well suited to times like this. Would you really know what to do with yourself if we were at peace?"

"There's always something that needs a Jedi's hand," Anakin said. "But this war goes beyond the kind of problems we were meant to solve. I don't like being caught up in all the political plots and maneuvering that goes on behind the scenes. So often it feels like… we do what we think is the right choice, and it has the wrong outcome, because there's too much wrong built into the systems in conflict with each other. We have to tiptoe when we should be shouting." He leaned back and looked down at Padme doubtfully. "Does that make any sense?"

"Yes," Padme sighed. "I know what you mean. Sometimes it seems like you have to do the opposite of what feels best, in order to get the right outcome."

They sat in silence for a little while, and Anakin's thoughts strayed to the last words he'd shared with his padawan. How little he'd expected to be taught anything by an impetuous little Togruta girl. In the beginning, he'd thought he was the only Jedi who could be both passionate and self-possessed, but there had been times, like that last conversation, when he had truly seen Ahsoka as a source of strength. At others, her clear and honest approach to life had been like a warning beacon in the haze of his own private conflict.

He wondered where she was now, what she was doing. At times like this, he still envied her a little for having the choice to walk away from it all. But maybe she hadn't really. Knowing her, she'd already gotten caught up in some wrong that needed setting right. As protective as ever, he didn't want her to put herself in danger, but it still made him feel a little better to imagine her passion for justice finding an outlet somewhere.

Soon, Padme returned to her work desk, and after about an hour of lying quietly, soaking up her presence, Anakin was bored and tired of his own thoughts. He squeezed Padme's shoulder.

"Don't stay up all night," he said, and she smiled goodbye at him as he left. He thought maybe he'd hit up the lightsaber training grounds before he went to bed. He needed to lose himself in action without thinking about the past or the future.

…

Rex sat in civilian clothing, cross-legged in a traditional meditative stance. Eyes closed, muscle by muscle he relaxed.

A soft voice—identical to his own, as if coming from his own mind—guided him.

"Good! Good… now, you feel the helmet?"

"I think so," Rex murmured. A trooper helmet sat on the ground about three feet in front of Rex.

"No, no, it doesn't work like that… don't just think so. Do you feel it or not?"

"I feel it," Rex said.

"If you feel it, then you can lift it. It's simple, actually…."

The helmet wobbled and Rex's breath hitched, but he kept his eyes closed, and slowly, slowly the helmet began to rise in the air….

Anakin rolled over and opened his eyes, confused for a moment to find himself in his room at the Jedi temple, and not one of the many cramped ship cabins he so often woke in these days. A dream clung to the edges of his memory, but only the bare bones of the end. Rex, using the Force? He rubbed his eyes against the dim light filtered through the blinds in his room. His subconscious sure had a weird way of expressing concern for the Captain's injuries. And it had been a long time since he'd last been recruited for teaching younglings such rudimentary exercises. Weird, how he could fall asleep thinking about Ahsoka and have a random dream like that.

"Anakin, are you there?" Obi-Wan's voice came from the communicator on the gauntlet lying by his cot. He grabbed at it.

"Yeah. I'm here."

"Oh, good. The Council is calling another meeting in half an hour."

"Great," Anakin said sarcastically. Out of habit, he almost asked what the meeting was for, but at this point it didn't matter. The meetings were always about the war in some way or another. "I'll meet up with you on the way there."

Anakin washed up and changed into fresh clothes, hoping that the meeting didn't last too long. He was hungry and wondered if, once the meeting was over, he should treat himself to a restaurant meal after so much time eating field rations. Then again, the food in the Temple refectory would probably satisfy him just as well. These days, it all tasted much better than he remembered from back when that was all he'd been eating day in and day out. Besides, it was free.

When he finally emerged from his room, Obi-Wan was waiting for him near the entrance to the southwestern quarter, as usual.

"Ah, you're almost early." Obi-Wan smiled when Anakin was close enough. Together they began walking down the tranquil, high-ceilinged hallway toward the many rooms they used for strategizing and discussion of war. "Sleep well?"

"Why? Do I look tired?"

"Just a feeling," Obi-Wan said pleasantly. "I hear your last mission didn't exactly go as planned."

"No," Anakin sighed roughly from the back of his throat. "I lost all of the troopers I had with me, except Rex. And we _still_ don't know who set the bomb."

"Mm. How is our unfortunate Captain? I assume he's in stable condition now?"

"Yeah."

"Well, at least there's one bit of good news to start our morning. I'm afraid this meeting might tax everyone's patience."

"Just what I wanted to hear," said Anakin.

They passed under the open door and into the conference room. Master Yoda was already present, along with Masters Plo, Shaak Ti and Windu via hologram. The war had become so demanding that Anakin couldn't even remember the last time they'd had a meeting where everyone attending had been physically present. Right now, the only bodies in the room besides his and Obi-Wan's belonged to Yoda, Rancisis, and Luminara. After they had all nodded greeting to one another, Kit Fisto also entered the room, bringing with him his signature, uniquely relaxed aura. Several other Jedi generals followed after him.

At last, Yoda looked around at them all. "All here now, are we? Then let us begin. Master Windu."

Mace Windu nodded and addressed the group. "As I'm sure everyone has noticed, our forces are spread a little thin right now. Despite that fact, we're at a tipping point. Now is the time for us to strike hard at the Separatist bases in the Outer Rim. Our intelligence has gathered a list of targets, and the High Council has narrowed down which of these are of greatest strategic importance. From this point going forward, the majority of our troops and generals are going to be deployed in the offensive, starting with the territories you see on the map. Master Luminara, if you would."

Luminara pulled up the holographic map of the Outer Rim. It was speckled with bright flags indicating where they were to strike. Windu went on.

"I propose that Ryloth, Ossus, Ord Radama, and New Bornalex be our first major targets, followed closely by Xagobah, Siskeen, Clak'dor VII, and Sluis Van. There will be minor targets we have to clear out of the way first, however—smaller outposts where the Separatists will try to prevent our advancement. Ringo Vinda and two other stations in the Siskeen system will need to be taken before we can mount a full scale assault."

"I see," Shaak Ti said, studying the map. "The Separatist forces are amassing here." She indicated the last four planets Windu had mentioned. "If it is possible for us to wipe them out before they are ready, it could be a deciding factor in our victory. But it will not be easy. We will have to pull troops and generals from maintaining the Republic presence on other worlds."

"And we will have to act quickly," Luminara said, looking troubled. "The longer we wait, the closer their armies come to overwhelming us simply through the concentrated strength of numbers."

"How will we minimize civilian casualties on planets like Ryloth?" Obi-Wan asked. "The people there have been struck hard enough by this war as it is. Is there any way we could draw the enemy troops out of those systems and toward the less populous targets? Perhaps if we attacked those first, they would divert their troops to supplement their defense?"

"The Separatists care little for the lives of civilians," Master Plo said. "I have seen it before. If they are pushed out of their outlying bases, they will fall back into civilian areas, knowing we will be disadvantaged by our unwillingness to put civilians at risk. We would save more lives if we make re-taking and defending the cities our first priority."

Obi-Wan looked as if he might protest, but then he hid his mouth behind his hand, stroking his mustache in troubled thought. Anakin understood both points of view. There was no ideal way to wage war against a ruthless opponent.

"In the hands of each leading general, the civilian lives will be," Yoda said seriously. "Trust your judgment, the High Council does."

"I share Master Obi-Wan's concern," said Master Luminara, eyes downcast. "Unfortunately, I am forced to admit that at this point in the war, it seems we will be forced to make a choice between giving too much ground to the Separatists, or else putting innocent lives at risk in order to prevent their armies from spreading to even more populated systems."

"All the more reason to make sure these assaults succeed, then," Rancisis said, folding his arms. "We cannot afford to fail."

"Now is the time to propose modifications to the assault plan in general," said Windu. "Once we have determined that we are in agreement, we will divide up the assignments to each general, and meet again in a few hours to give each of us the chance to propose a more specific plan."

Anakin took a deep breath. Lunch at a restaurant was out of the question now. But beyond that, if they failed at this point, they would almost certainly lose the entire war. Looking around the room, it was clear that very few of the other Jedi were wholeheartedly excited about this plan. Most of what he saw in their faces was grim determination.

But if they won, the war could be over that much quickly. And he always worked best under pressure. Once they got past all this talk, this would be the most challenging campaign yet. Then, he was sure he'd feel the thrill, and not just the dull resignation that hung over them all now. Success was the only acceptable outcome after all their hard work and sacrifice…. There was no way they could lose unless they lost sight of their objective.

…

The Temple refectory was loud with chatter as Anakin and Obi-Wan entered, but the line was thankfully short.

"You should call Masters Tiplar and Tiplee as soon as possible," Obi-Wan advised him as they loaded their trays. "And I need to contact Master Tsui Choi after this as well."

"Why weren't any of them at the meeting?" Anakin asked.

"I heard the sisters were in the middle of a battle when it was called. As for Master Choi, he was discussing an important strategy with his captains and asked to be filled in afterward."

Anakin sighed, looking around for an open table. "Do you ever feel like the entire war effort is one big mess, like we're barely keeping things together?"

"Since the very beginning," Obi-Wan admitted. "But thinking that way isn't going to do us any good. As long as we all focus on our individual duty, the strategy will work."

Anakin took a seat and glanced up as his old master sat opposite. "Is that where you get your confidence in the council's decisions? Because you trust the individual Jedi carrying out those orders to do the right thing?"

"Well, yes. The Jedi Order is, for the most part, made of capable, thinking individuals. Like you."

"Master Obi-Wan," Anakin exclaimed wryly. "You should be careful throwing praise around like that. It might give me a big head."

"I'm only telling the truth as I see it," Obi-Wan smiled. "And it's not like you to be modest, Anakin. Are you still feeling sour about your mission to Thisspias?"

"No," Anakin said bitterly. Truthfully, he had half succeeded in putting it out of his mind until now.

"Master Rancisis tells me he was quite impressed with how quickly you managed to locate the bomb site."

Anakin took a few bites of food without tasting them. "What do you mean? Two other Thisspiasians showed up only a few minutes after I did."

"Yes, but they were native to that city. Even most Jedi find navigating Ramatesh to be difficult. Besides, they have an internal sensor network built into the walls which made it easy for them to pinpoint where the explosion came from. I imagine that comes in handy when living underground, to minimize losses in the event of a cave-in."

"Oh. Of course." Anakin rolled his eyes. "Why didn't I know that? Right… because Master Rancisis didn't see fit to tell me anything about his home planet before we left! Including that our communicators wouldn't work underground, which is the entire reason those troopers died in the first place!"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, in that particular placating way he always said it. "He gave you a compliment. He trusted your capability as a Jedi Knight and as a general, enough to leave it up to you to decide the best precautions to take with your men, and to ask for any information you might need. Would you have preferred it if he had treated you like a padawan, telling you everything just in case you needed to know?"

"My pride isn't more important than the lives of my men," said Anakin dully. "And I doubt _he_ cares so much about either one." He shoveled food into his mouth as an excuse not to say more.

For a moment, Obi-Wan's furrowed brow smoothed in a sad smile. "Always taking things so personally. Unfortunately, even the best of intentions can go wrong. For now, let's just be grateful that your skill with the Force helped you to save a life."

"It wasn't my skill that saved him," Anakin muttered. "It wasn't even skill that helped me get to him faster. I wasn't doing anything consciously, I just… followed my instincts."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; you don't see that that's precisely why you impress people." Obi-Wan glanced at him with mild exasperation, and shook his head. "But of course your talent with the Force is such a natural part of you…it's in the way you can pilot ships in ways that would be suicidal for anyone else… it's in your blood. But the difficulty, always, is in distinguishing between our own impulsiveness and allowing the Force to fully guide our actions."

Anakin barely heard the last sentence. _It's in your blood_.

The image from his dream came crashing back to the forefront of his mind and he felt a tingle of anxiety. He knew he had a higher than normal midichlorian count. And he had given his blood to Rex. Rex's body had accepted it, and now… What if it was a vision of the future, and he'd somehow made Rex capable of using the Force? That had to be against the rules of the Jedi Order, or at least against the many rules set in place for members of the clone army, and who knew what sort of trouble he'd be in with the High Council if it turned out to be true? And what would happen to Rex?

"And that is why I think we must always be conscious of the actions we take, even if they seem involuntary," Obi-Wan was saying, but Anakin could only fill in what had come before with guesswork based on years of such impromptu lessons.

"Mm," Anakin said noncommittally, wondering how he could discreetly find out whether or not he'd just made a huge mistake… perhaps huge enough to cost him his place as a Jedi Knight. And Rancisis had stood by without warning and let him do it, perhaps secretly delighting in that very thought.

"Anakin… you didn't hear a word I just said, did you? Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Sorry, Master, I was… just thinking."

He couldn't worry about this right now. Agonizing wouldn't do any good, and he had to be focused on creating a strategy for taking Ringo Vinda. He resolved that when he visited Rex this afternoon, he would find answers. And once he confirmed it had all just been a strange and meaningless dream, he could let the matter rest.

Obi-Wan frowned at him thoughtfully, then glanced at the clock. "We'd better hurry. We're running out of time to meet with the other generals before reporting back to the Council."

"Less talking, more eating," Anakin agreed. He was going to need his full concentration to deal with the rest of the day… and the less he let on to Obi-Wan about his concerns at this point, the better.

…

Anakin walked down the sleek gold and silver halls of Coruscant's military hospital, led by a medical droid. The past several hours had been packed full of strategizing and debate, but despite how quickly they had passed, it felt like his conversation with Obi-Wan had happened days ago.

The medical droid opened the door; Rex was sitting up on the austere hospital bed, arm in a sling, dressed in a thin white robe. When he saw Anakin enter, he swung his legs over the side, and the droid rushed to stop him.

"You are in no condition to leave your bed," it scolded dully. "I thought clones were supposed to be more obedient than other humans…."

"At ease, Captain," Anakin said gently, glad to see Rex feeling well enough to try. "I ordered you to rest, didn't I?"

Rex grimaced and lay back against his pillow—drawing his injured leg back up on the bed took more effort than putting it down. "I have been resting, General."

Anakin could tell Rex was uncomfortable being seen like this, and so he forced himself to stay chipper, despite his personal worries and the stress of the day. There was no point in worrying Rex by acting as if anything was out of the ordinary. Anakin glanced around the rest of the hospital room.

"These walls are a little boring to look at, though. Get any good channels here?"

"I wouldn't know, sir," Rex said. "Was there something you wanted to see me about?"

"I just wanted to see for myself that you're making a full recovery. You look a lot better than you did… well… before."

That brought a small smile. "I'm in your debt."

"No, no debts, Rex," Anakin waved a hand, keeping his tone light. "I just did what I had to do. It was no big deal."

"All the same, sir," Rex said. "I won't forget it. And I'll be back on duty as soon as possible. You can count on that."

"Your _duty_ is to be at one hundred percent when you get out of here."

"Yes sir."

Anakin pulled up a chair; Rex seemed startled that he intended to stay.

"So… this is at least your second time being heavily injured on the battlefield. Does it feel any different from the first time?"

"Well, this bed is a lot softer than the table Kix and Jesse put me on back on Saleucami," Rex huffed a laugh under his breath. "And my legs were fine then, it was just my arm. This is taking a lot longer to heal."

"Well," Anakin said, "I actually meant, in here… does it feel any different?" He tapped his own temple with two fingers.

"Not really," Rex said evenly. "I lose men all the time, sir. It's expected."

"Right." Anakin was starting to relax. Rex was either totally unaware of any change in himself, or he was very good at hiding it, which didn't seem likely to Anakin. He'd push a little further, just to be sure. There was some reading material on Rex's bedside. Anakin pulled it over to him through the Force, smiling at Rex's momentary questioning look.

"Reading anything interesting?"

"Just reg manuals, sir," Rex said.

"Reg manuals? Can't you request anything more interesting?"

Rex half-grinned. "I don't plan on being stuck here that long."

"Glad to hear it." Anakin bounced the reading pad slowly from palm to palm, never letting it actually touch his skin. He kept half an eye on Rex's face, but the Captain's expression was openly attentive and expectant.

"There's no need to be concerned for me, sir," Rex finally prompted. "If you have some bad news, I'd prefer to know it straight off."

"Bad news?" Anakin blinked and let the console fall into his lap. "Are you expecting some bad news?"

"Have I been declared unfit to return to duty?" Rex said, his face serious.

"Not unless the doctors are keeping secrets."

Rex shook his head. "Last I heard, I was promised a full recovery."

The reading pad twirled lazily in place.

"Am I…" Rex began, "being demoted, sir?"

"What?" Anakin blurted. "Why would you be demoted?"

"We were ordered to stay where you left us. I should have trusted that you had everything under control. I understand if you see fit to have me transferred to another battalion."

"That's never going to happen, Rex. In fact, I'm depending on you to be with me on my next major mission. The council met today to discuss a new wave of assaults in the Outer Rim. We're going to take Ringo Vinda first."

Rex looked relieved. "I'll be ready, General. When do we leave?"

"Not for several days at least. We're still working out the details of how the assaults will fit together. That should give you plenty of time to get back on your feet."

"I could be ready tomorrow, sir, if necessary," Rex said.

"I don't doubt it," Anakin grinned, then sobered a bit. "But like I said, it's better you have time to recover fully."

He couldn't keep sitting around waiting for Rex to react to his subtle prodding, or the Captain would wonder what was up. Anakin looked Rex in the eyes and reached out with the Force, searching the Captain for any hint of change. He felt subtle ripples of Rex's confusion and concern underneath his ever-present resolve to do whatever was required. But there was nothing at all like what he felt when connecting with other Jedi or even younglings.

"General?"

Anakin stood up and put the reading pad back on the bedside table. "Take care of yourself, Rex. I'll see you when we're ready to ship out."

"Yes, sir!"

…

The tramp of boots on a metal floor. Troopers marching down an unfamiliar hallway. In a dim and fuzzy light, another clone held a rifle trained on Rex, whose hands were up.

It was Cody. "I never thought I would be the one to take you down. But you're not the man I knew."

"You don't want to do this, Commander," Rex was saying. "You've got to stop acting like a mindless droid. You can't just keep accepting their orders!"

"I don't listen to traitors."

Blaster fire rang out, but Rex pulled the gun out of his attacker's hands without ever touching it; an invisible force threw Cody against the wall and Anakin woke up sweating.

The silence of the dark room made his breath loud and startling. He looked over to make sure Padme was still asleep. She was curled up loosely with her back to him. Anakin settled back and took a deep breath, in and out, laying a hand over his rapid heartbeat as if he could force it down that way. But a deep unease still gripped him, before his mind had even formed the words to describe what he'd seen.

He had checked! He had felt no Force sensitivity in Rex, nothing that fit with the prophetic tone of this dream. But it had only been a day since the first one, and now this? He must have missed something during his visit with Rex. Even if the Captain didn't have control of the Force now, he would…and if the vision was to be believed, he would not be on the side of the Republic. The Sith were looking for a way to destroy the Jedi from the inside out—corrupting a trusted clone Captain would be the last thing anyone would expect. And if they discovered that Rex had the potential to wield the Force, they would not rest until they had him. The situation on Thisspias must have been set up for precisely this purpose. They had known Anakin's weakness and exploited it as the council had always warned. And Master Rancisis had made no effort to curb Anakin's thoughtless response to Rex's injuries—he had to be in on the plot, a pawn of the Sith. It was no wonder he had objected to Anakin's appointment to the Order; he knew of the prophecy. He knew Anakin was destined to destroy the Sith.

Anakin rolled carefully out of bed, feeling smothered by his own shortsightedness. He crept from the bedroom and stood before one of many large windows looking out onto the elegant skyline of the Senate district. How had he become so fond of a clone? As much as he hated to admit it, there were other clones just as capable as Rex. He _could_ have been replaced. Instead, he gave a mere clone a power that was not meant for his kind. He clenched his fists at that. A wiser Jedi would have understood the risks, and weighed Rex's life against the greater interests of the Republic. They wouldn't have given in to attachment so quickly.

He had to tell someone immediately about what he'd done, and about Master Rancisis. A Jedi wiser and more experienced than himself, who would know what to do with Rex and the mistake Anakin had made. Master Yoda would have the authority to make the best decision for the Republic, even if it meant eliminating whatever danger Rex presented now at the source. Anakin swallowed. He wouldn't let attachment get the better of him this time.

…

"CT-7567, are you listening?" the obnoxious medical droid whined.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Load up the shot once a day and stick it in my leg, drink lots of fluids, and send a daily report for seven rotations. I won't leave anything out." Droids. Rex was so tired of droids. It was much more fun to blast them than take orders from them.

"I hope that's not sarcasm I detect."

"You wouldn't even know sarcasm if it blasted you in the face."

"Well!" the droid huffed. "This is the thanks I get for waiting on you hand and foot for days on end."

"You're just doing your duty. And I can't wait to leave this box and get back to mine."

On cue, the door opened, and General Skywalker walked in.

"General!" Rex stood up.

"Captain," Skywalker said, staring at the medical droid.

"I'm being released. I'll be in uniform as soon as possible, sir."

The medical droid shook its head as it stalked away.

"Good. Get dressed, then. We're going to the Jedi Temple." The General still wasn't looking at him.

"Yes, sir. Excuse me, sir. I'll join you outside as soon as I'm ready."

The General left without saying anything. Rex retrieved his service uniform from the storage cabinet. It felt good to be out of hospital clothes, and judging by General Skywalker's mood, they had quite the battle ahead of them.

The door opened onto the brightly lit hallway, and Rex stepped out.

"Ready when you are, sir."

Skywalker led the way out into Coruscant's morning sunlight, and Rex climbed into the passenger side of the General's speeder. They merged abruptly but seamlessly into the flow of traffic, and the Jedi Temple came into view within minutes. Meeting with the Jedi to discuss military operations was a matter of course for Rex, but those meetings were usually held on the battlefield, not here. Something big must be in the works. General Skywalker appeared to be deep in thought as he set the speeder down on the Temple landing pad.

Together they made their way into the building, but instead of heading toward the conference rooms, General Skywalker turned in the opposite direction.

"This is a private meeting," Skywalker said quietly. "With Master Yoda. We need to discuss some of the events on our last mission."

"Do you have a suspect for who planted the bomb, sir?"

"You might say that."

Rex took the following silence to mean that more information would have to wait until they were in a secure location. The General led him down fairly featureless hallways lined with nearly identical doors, until arriving at one which seemed no different from the others.

It opened before Skywalker touched the button.

"Come in. Come in!" Master Yoda's voice came from the dim interior. "Many questions in your mind, I feel. Heaviness, you bring with you."

Rex stepped in behind General Skywalker, and the door slid shut, leaving the room even dimmer than before. Light came in through slats in the window blinds, and Yoda was seated on a round cushion. The old Jedi Master looked straight at him, and Rex wasn't sure if he should look away or not.

"Unexpected, your presence is, Captain Rex."

"General?" Rex glanced at Skywalker.

"Sit, sit, and let us speak freely." Yoda swept two cushions to rest in front of them with a wave of his hand, and Rex and Skywalker sat.

Skywalker took a deep breath. "Master Yoda… I think I've made a terrible mistake."

"A mistake, you say? Something involving your Captain, it is?"

"Yes."

A sick feeling crept into Rex's stomach. The General had reassured him that he had done nothing wrong, but apparently he had changed his mind.

"I've been having… visions. I thought it was just a dream the first time, but now I'm certain I'm seeing the future."

"Very careful you must be, young Skywalker," Yoda warned. "Tell me of this dream, and then decide its meaning, we may."

"Alright," Skywalker sighed, hesitating. "Captain Rex was in both of them. And… he was… using the Force."

"What?" Rex gasped. "Sir, that's—" He cut himself off, not wanting to speak out of turn. He was in the presence of two Jedi, after all.

"Agree with the Captain, I do. What you saw, impossible it is."

"No, I'm sure of what I saw! The first time it was just practice—with the Force. But in the second vision… he… Master Yoda, I'm afraid the Sith will find a way to strike us from within, and they're going to use Captain Rex to do it."

Yoda looked serious, but not yet alarmed. "Describe this knowledge, can you, in more detail?"

"Yes. I saw…." Skywalker closed his eyes, concentrating. "Commander Cody…. He was pointing a blaster at Rex, talking about… he was telling him he was a traitor. And Rex was trying to convince Cody to stop obeying Republic command. He said he was acting like a mindless droid. And then… Cody tried to shoot Rex, but Rex used the Force to push Cody against the wall. That's when I woke up."

Rex stared at the General, horrified. "This can't be a vision, sir. I would never betray the Republic! And I would never fight against the rest of my brothers!"

"I can't deny what I saw," the General said quietly. "Master Yoda… I need to know how we can prevent this from happening."

"Before we can prevent it, how it will happen, we must first know." Yoda looked contemplative.

Rex spoke up. "If clones could ever use the Force, it would have happened by now. There are millions of us!" He turned toward General Skywalker. "You've worked with me long enough, and in all that time, have I ever shown any kind of… sensitivity?"

"No," Skywalker said to the ground. "But I…."

"Afraid you are, that in giving your blood to this clone, the Force also, you have given?"

"I'm sure of it," Anakin muttered.

Yoda smiled, and laughed a little. Rex and General Skywalker both jerked upright to stare at him.

"Although mysterious, the ways of the Force may be, this much we know to be impossible. Give the Force to others, no one can. Born with it, you must be."

"But," Skywalker said, still troubled. "My visions. How else can they be true? I was sure that we were set up on Thisspias! It would have been the perfect plan to use me… my weakness…." He glanced at Rex.

Rex could only stare back, astounded that of all people, he could have been considered General Skywalker's weakness. Wasn't there someone else who would have been a better target?

"Yes," Yoda said. "Your attachment to others, your greatness weakness it is. Very careful, you must be. But in the matter of this clone, no harm has been done. Saved a life, you have."

"I'm still not convinced that my vision was just a dream," Skywalker protested. "And that's the only explanation I could think of."

"Many and terrible are the ways of the Dark Side. If a vision indeed this is, another way they will find."

"Permission to speak freely, sir," Rex asked tightly.

"Already granted, it was." Yoda smiled.

"This is absurd!" Rex said, punctuating it with a jerk of his arm. "Even if I could use the Force, I wouldn't, and certainly not to betray the Republic! I would rather die! The enemy can do whatever it wants to me, but I would never do anything like what you saw in your dream!"

"So certain, are you? Very persuasive, the Dark Side can be."

"He's right, Rex," General Skywalker said, finally looking at him. "I don't like to think about it either. But I can't just ignore what I saw. Especially not if there's a chance to prevent it. Ignoring it isn't going to help anything!"

"I can't believe it," Rex said simply.

"Think on this matter, I will," Yoda said. "But not worry. Until some evidence of this plot we see, act, we cannot."

"So I should still take Rex with me on missions like nothing's going to happen?" Skywalker asked.

"A reliable Captain, he is. Need him on the battlefield, we will, if in this new wave of attacks, we are to succeed."

"If General Skywalker doesn't trust me, sir, wouldn't it be better for me to serve under someone else?"

"No," Skywalker said. "Master Yoda's right. Until something happens… you're still the best Captain in the army."

Rex wasn't sure if he should protest or not. He didn't like the idea of working under someone who didn't trust him. But on the other hand, if something was going to happen…it would be better to have someone watching him who knew. Rex didn't like the thought of that at all.

"Now… see you both at the meeting tonight, I will. Much to discuss have we, about the assault on Ringo Vinda."

Skywalker stood and Rex hurried to follow.

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Skywalker said, and they left.

As the door slid shut behind them in the hallway, Rex could barely contain himself any longer.

"With all due respect, sir, what in the name of the Republic was that?! How could I—how could any clone—become a Sith? It's insane!"

"Rex," Skywalker sighed in exasperation. "I wish it were that simple. I don't want to believe it either, like I said! But you don't know how powerful my vision was! Do you think I go around thinking all my crazy dreams are going to happen in the future? This was different!"

"But, sir! Commander Cody? How can you even imagine that I would fight against him?"

"I wasn't _imagining_ it!" The General gestured in agitation. "It was a vision! You don't understand."

"That's right, sir. I don't understand, because I'm not a Jedi. And I never will be! Not in any way, shape, or form!"

"Hey, no need to be insulting," Skywalker said, and for a minute Rex couldn't tell if he was joking or not. The events of the day had put him too off-balance.

"I meant no offense, sir. I just… I just don't see how this could be possible."

"Me either," Skywalker sighed. "But it is… somehow. Hey… as Master Yoda says, the future is always in flux. Maybe we've already changed it by knowing about it."

"Somehow it always seemed pretty clear cut to me," Rex said. "We do our duty… we live, or we die. For the good of the Republic."

"I hope that kind of thinking isn't what makes you an easy target."

Rex frowned. "Me and every other clone, then. General, you know I can think for myself. But you also know that I_ am_ loyal to the Republic. And I always will be."

Skywalker said, "What if the Republic was wrong? What if you found out that everything you'd been fighting for was a lie?"

"I still wouldn't turn against my friends, sir."

The General smiled sadly. "Your friends, huh? Do the Jedi fall into that category?"

"A friend is a friend whether they're a Jedi or one of my brothers," Rex said. "You know I consider you a friend."

"I hope that doesn't change."

…


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Parts of this chapter take place during and are quoted directly from "The Unknown," episode 6x1.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

…

The shattered bits of target spheres hit the floor and were swept away by droid arm, to be reshaped into new targets. Rex hit two more of them at once as they whizzed free of their hidden launchers in the floor. The sound of the pieces hitting the smooth walls in a high-pitched shower was so satisfying.

He jabbed the console in front of him with his sore knee, and locked on to the five new spheres hurtling through the air, calculating subconsciously how to hit them all before they struck the ground. One! Two close together—he spread his hands two feet apart, exploding two more spheres near opposite ends of the ceiling. His left hand jerked down to catch the last one, but his blaster bolt grazed the top of it only a fraction of a second before it hit the floor.

With an annoyed huff, Rex hit the button for another try.

"Rex! I knew you'd be here!"

Rex didn't turn to see who it was. It was only when he'd hit the fifth sphere with a triumphant "ha!" that the footsteps came up behind him and a clone caught Rex roughly by the shoulders and laughed.

"Worried you'll lose your unofficial title as the best marksman in the army?"

"_Commander _Cody." Rex broke into a grin and turned, holstering his pistols. "You're back from Rendili!"

"Just landed. And you're back on your feet." Cody pushed back to look him up and down. Rex was in his service uniform, and Cody was in his armor, making the contrast between them more striking than it should have been.

"Course I'm back on my feet," Rex said with a smirk. "They couldn't keep me locked up in the hospital another day."

"No permanent damage, then?" Cody circled around him once and Rex laughed. He shifted weight onto his right leg and patted his left knee.

"My leg still looks awful, but the med droids say it won't scar. Even if it does, no one's gonna see it."

"General Kenobi told me about what happened." Cody's usual serious look slid back into place. "I heard it was a close one."

"It wasn't close at all. Not for everyone else," Rex sighed. "It was a trap and we walked right into it. I was nearly dead when General Skywalker found me."

Cody frowned so hard his scar wrinkled. "Well…did they catch whoever did it?"

"No. Some kind of local anti-Republic group, I guess. That's what the monarch said."

"Cowards," Cody said bitterly, hands on hips. "Blowing up clones just to prove a point, is that it?"

"Something like that. Anyway… 'sgood to see you. I wasn't sure you'd be back in time."

"In time for what?" Cody's eyebrows went up a bit.

"General Skywalker's taking us to Ringo Vinda. One of the first strikes in the Republic's new assault plan. We leave tomorrow morning."

"Oh." Cody looked disappointed for a moment, but then it vanished into one of his even smiles. "Well then, we'd better get to Seventy-Nines before it's too late."

"Isn't it a little _early_ for a drink?" Rex asked, in a voice he knew full well some troopers called "judgmental".

"Hey. The sooner we go, the longer we'll have to catch up."

Rex gave in without too much hesitation. "Alright. Seventy-Nines it is." He was glad to see Cody. They all knew that each mission could be their last, and lately he appreciated times like this all the more for their infrequency.

Twenty minutes later, they were at a table, and Cody was clinking ice cubes around in a glass of kri'gee.

Rex flicked Cody's glass with his finger. "I thought you said we weren't getting drunk."

"We're not _drunk_," Cody said loudly over the frenetic music in the background. "Anyway… you'd think they would have kept us out there longer. Everyone knows those cities are under Separatist control now, but General Plo says we can't strike until they come out in the open. And then there's this new assault plan, so we can't keep all our men just waiting when there are other battles to fight. So I got sent back to General Kenobi."

"You were working with the Wolf Pack, right?" Rex asked, his own glass of ne'tra gal barely touched. "How'd you get along with them?"

"Wolf Pack," Cody laughed under his breath. "Yeah… Wolffe's as capable as people say. He planned more of the strategies we used than the General did. I used to think he was just full of himself." Cody took a quick sip. "But he is smart. _Really_ smart. And focused." Cody made a sharp hand motion from his eyes toward Rex's face, almost a salute. "General Plo's lucky to have him." The Commander paused with a rueful smile. "Heh. I can see why some troopers think he's some sort of super-Commander. It's a good thing I left when I did, or it might have rubbed off on some of my men. Well… more than it did already, I mean."

"Like who?"

"Wooley." Cody rolled his eyes a little.

"Wooley?" Rex raised his eyebrows. "Last time we talked, you were saying he worships you."

"Yeah, well… apparently my scar's not as impressive as Wolffe's." Cody smiled around another sip of kri'gee. "Yap and Pacer practically volunteered to stay behind. Viper was trying so hard to look cool in front of Wolffe, he nearly got himself killed showing off. That rookie tried to take on a whole group of sentry droids on his own… he could have lost both his legs!"

"He could have lost a lot more than that," Rex added.

"We had to carry that kid all the way back to base, and he was no use to us after that."

"So," Rex said. "You're glad to be done with this assignment. It doesn't sound like you enjoyed working with Commander Wolffe."

"Ah, he wasn't so bad. To be honest… I feel sorry for him." Cody grimaced sadly. "The guy doesn't really have a sense of humor. If General Kenobi had been there cracking jokes like he does sometimes, they would have gone right over his head."

"Was he like that before the _Triumphant _was destroyed?" Rex wondered.

"I think so. Just how he is. Anyway, for being mostly a reconnaissance mission, it was pretty rough out there. Planet's full of clankers already, even if they're not _officially_ under Separatist control. And even when we found their base, they'd set these traps, right, almost worse than buzz droids." Cody sighed and held his glass up, perhaps startled to see nearly half of it gone. "We lost a lot of men just trying to break in. If they get control of all those ships, we're gonna be in a world of trouble."

"Let's hope that doesn't put a wrench in the new assault plans," said Rex, finally taking a long sip of his drink. It had been a while since he'd visited Seventy-Nines, and the ale was better than he remembered.

"Yeah." Cody fell silent, just looking at Rex thoughtfully over his glass.

"What?" Rex asked.

"Ah, nothing. Just wondering how long this big plan will take."

They both went quiet with unspoken thoughts. The music blared on, but in that moment, it and the energetic patrons around them seemed distant.

Eventually, Rex said, "Do you ever wonder if the Jedi are right, and there's no such thing as luck?"

Cody glanced at him. "Heh. Officially, the Jedi are always right. But if you're asking whether I believe everything happens for some important, mysterious reason… no, I don't really believe that. Why?"

"I was just thinking… how would a Jedi explain why some of us are dead after one hit by a brainless battle droid, and then there's some people like you and me, still alive against all the odds. If I hadn't been exactly where I was when that bomb went off, I wouldn't be here." Rex jabbed a finger at the table they were sitting at. "If…."

Rex stopped short of telling Cody about what General Skywalker had done to save him. And then he wondered why. What was he afraid of?

"Cut it out, Rex." Cody pretended to be annoyed. "Everyone knows if you talk about how many lucky breaks you've had before a big battle, you're gonna jinx yourself."

"I'm sure the Jedi would have a thing or two to say about a superstition like that," Rex said wryly.

"Still, best not to take chances," Cody said more seriously. "Mostly we're alive because we're not careless."

"There are a lot of dead men who weren't any more careless than us," Rex pointed out.

"I know," said Cody. "I know. Maybe… the Jedi would say we were meant to survive so we could play some important part in future battles. But I wouldn't think about it too hard."

"Yeah," Rex agreed, still debating whether to tell Cody about the blood transfusion. Perhaps the moment had already passed. It wasn't really important for anyone to know, especially now that Master Yoda had confirmed there would be no unusual effects.

"Listen," Cody said, quietly because the music had gone softer as well. "You're not feeling guilty, are you?"

"What? You mean because of my men?" Rex looked up; Cody looked a little worried. "No. There's no point in what-ifs. We all did what we thought we had to."

"Okay. Any other reason you're thinking so hard about this all of a sudden?"

"Not really. Just hoping our luck holds out."

"It has so far. So, starting tomorrow, here we go again." Cody smiled and lifted his half-empty glass. "To the future."

Rex clinked his own glass against it gently. "The future," he echoed, wondering again what lay in store for them on the other side of this war. He knew what he _hoped_ would be there—or who, anyway. Some people, it was hard to imagine being absent in whatever future they created, and one of them was sitting right across from Rex, taking a long swig of kri'gee.

Cody laughed when he put his glass down. "Wow, that _is_ strong."

"Maybe we oughtta switch to lum." Rex grinned. "We've still got the rest of the day."

"You know I never drink that stuff."

"Yeah? You also _never_ get drunk enough to have a hangover," Rex deadpanned.

"Oh, come _on_. That was one time!"

Rex laughed under his breath. "I'm just givin' you a hard time."

"I should be the one teasing you," Cody complained, but he was smiling. "_I'm_ the Commander."

"Well, _Commander_," Rex said, "What say we have a little trade?"

He pushed his drink across the table and pulled Cody's toward him.

"To the Republic," he said, lifting the kri'gee. Cody raised his eyebrows at the sight of his ale in Rex's hand before he lifted Rex's glass with a grin.

"And a swift victory on Ringo Vinda."

The kri'gee burned Rex's throat, but he didn't mind. Cody was right. They weren't careless, and they knew their limits; they could afford to leave some things to tomorrow.

…

_Ringo Vinda._

The battle had been days long already. Every time they cleared one section of the station, the droids somehow managed to fill in the spaces they left behind. It was like trying to dig a hole in loose sand. Sleep was a luxury snatched in minutes rather than hours; Rex had stopped keeping track of how many he'd need to make up if they ever got away from this place.

When General Skywalker proposed a new formational strategy to burn a path through the station to Admiral Trench, the feeling was nearly unanimous: everyone wanted to get this over with. Generals Tiplee and Tiplar split off from behind them to clear a parallel hallway, while General Skywalker forged ahead of Rex and his men, deflecting blaster fire with his lightsaber.

Rex advanced steadily half a step behind him, blasting droids right and left in a hyperaware daze. They were almost there, the smaller groups spread out to eliminate any fresh waves of droids from the many surrounding intersections. The rocking of the pistols in his hands and the whirl of Skywalker's saber was a steady rhythm, occasionally punctuated by the grunts or cries of men who got hit behind him. He couldn't turn aside until the path was cleared. This was his job—the others behind him would take care of each other.

Ten steps, ten more, and they were at the door, surging through it while General Skywalker turned to deflect fire until they were all inside.

The hum and whine of the other Generals slashing down the last remaining droids dissipated, and then it was quiet. Rex took a deep breath inside his helmet, ears ringing as if the blaster fire was still going.

"Don't get too comfortable," General Skywalker announced. "This battle hasn't been won yet."

As Rex knelt to call up the map of the station, Fives and Tup came up close next to him.

"General Skywalker," said one of the sisters. "We must get to the command post. Admiral Trench has sent for reinforcements. We must take this post before they arrive."

All three Generals knelt to survey Rex's map.

"It's time for phase two," Skywalker said. Rex could hear the stress in his voice, subtle under the clear authoritative tone. "We're at this position." The General pointed at an oval convergence of several corridors on the map. "Tiplar, you'll take your men down this passageway. Tiplee, you'll move along here." Skywalker's hand was steady as he pointed out the two parallel passages. "They'll have to divide their forces to counter us, and when they do, Rex and I will press through the middle. If we time it right, we'll all converge on this spot at the same time. The droids won't know what hit 'em."

Commander Doom shifted from where he stood behind Tiplar. His voice was low and rough. "If we're making a run, we'll need back up. My men are severely depleted."

Rex looked over at the handful of green-painted troopers behind Doom. "Severely depleted" was an understatement. Barely any of Doom's men had made it this far, even despite the shields they'd been using. Bodies littered the hallways they'd just come through, but Rex hadn't realized until now just how lucky his own men had been in comparison.

"Fives," Skywalker said immediately. "You and Tup take ten of your best men and support Master Tiplar."

"We're on it, sir!" said Fives.

Skywalker stood. Rex turned off the hologram and followed him toward the doors, signaling those who weren't supporting Tiplar to fall in behind. Not even five minutes' rest. But they had to strike while the passage was relatively clear, otherwise they'd get hemmed in again and lose the ground they'd gained.

As the door opened, the General leaped out in a whirl of blue light, mowing droids down like metal weeds. The end of the passage wasn't as far as it had seemed on the map.

Within minutes of steady blasting and slashing, all three groups had reached their goal; the blast doors opened to a criss-cross of blaster and cannon fire, red blurs coming toward them in a deafening high-pitched chorus as droids swarmed onto the floor from the opposite doors, like ants from a hill.

"Cover me!" Skywalker yelled, hurtling toward the nearest DSD1 dwarf spider droid. General Tiplar was already on top of another one.

"Push forward!" Rex yelled, and heard Fives calling the same to his left. "Cover the Generals!"

He rolled through a crowd of clankers to get a better angle on the ones who had their rifles aimed at Skywalker. Three of those fell before the ones he'd landed by turned their guns on him; a moment later he had _them_ tripped, thrown, and smoking from holes in the head. Diving behind a storage cube, he hit two more as Skywalker finished off the spider droid and jumped back into the fray.

"On your right!" General Tiplee cried, and Rex whirled to press both pistols into a pair of droids that had snuck up on him in the chaos. He wasn't sure if the warning had been for him or for Skywalker; the General had just used the Force to topple a wall of droids that had been moments away from filling him with holes.

"Tup, _NO!_"

Rex turned with a sinking feeling, prepared to see that Tup had just been shot down. Instead he saw General Tiplar crumple to the ground, Tup standing over her with the rifle in his hands.

"_Sister!_"

For a moment, Rex felt nothing. He wrestled and shot his way through a dozen more battle droids before he could jerk his eyes back to the scene which had been a blur among the chaos of the battle. Just another death in a long string of deaths—the shot that killed General Tiplar had not been distinguishable from the rest of the gunfire raging around them. It could happen that quietly.

Fives was on Tup now. They were both on the ground and Rex still couldn't believe it.

"Hold your position!" Skywalker called.

Tiplee ignored him and ran to her sister's still form. Fives hauled Tup to his feet and dragged him backwards, an arm around his throat.

"Destroyers!" Commander Doom yelled, and Rex pulled himself back into the battle, jumping out of the way just in time to avoid the new onslaught of droideka blaster fire. He grabbed some droid poppers and set about trying to clear a path so they could be accurately rolled inside the Destroyers' shields.

He was just about ready when Skywalker called again.

"We've lost our momentum! Fall back!"

Rex rolled two of the grenades before whipping his pistols back out and hurrying backward to fall in place beside his General. Tiplee was carrying her sister's body, and Fives had fallen to a crouch just behind Skywalker; it looked like he was saying something to Tup. His hands were full holding him down. In two quick lunges, Rex shifted position so he could cover Fives from the other side.

In those few seconds, the Destroyers formed an unbroken line of ray shielding from one wall to the other—their guns pummeled at the metal shields Doom's men huddled behind. Rex caught himself breathing hard even though he'd been keeping a steady pace for the last few hours. Adrenaline vibrated through him with every squeeze of the trigger.

"Fives!" Skywalker yelled as soon as he'd come close enough to be heard. "I don't know what's going on; you were responsible for Tup, now _get him back to base!_ I want answers!"

Rex stuck by Fives as they fell back, clearing a path for them to the room they'd taken before. Whenever he came close enough to the two of them, he heard Tup muttering something under his breath, but couldn't make it out. The trooper's helmet was nowhere to be seen.

"Tup, what is going _on?!_" Fives yowled as Tup suddenly lunged forward in his arms. "_What_ is wrong with you?"

Over the sound of the blast door shutting behind them, Rex could only make out something that sounded like "follow orders".

"What orders?!" Fives ducked as a blaster bolt nearly fried his face.

"Just hold tight 'til we get back to base!" Rex yelled, heart racing as he struggled to keep up with the battle droids converging on where Fives and Tup were walking. "You can talk to him then!"

"Right!" Fives ran with Tup in a staggered sideways gait, yelling wordlessly at the handful of droids that were blocking his way. Rex ran behind and blew them away with multiple shots to the chest and head, kicking one straggler down as he passed.

They rushed into the room.

"Guard the doors until the Generals arrive!" Rex told his men.

Fives was already pulling Tup into a small alcove. Rex brought out a pair of binders and yanked Tup's arms behind him to snap them on. Tup didn't resist. He didn't look at Rex or Fives—he just stared off when Rex stepped back to take a better look at him.

Fives pushed Tup down to sit on the bench. He crouched in front of him, mouth open in dismay. "Tup, what happened back there? Talk to me!" He shook his friend by the shoulders.

"What's going on?" Kix ran in. "Someone said _Tup_ shot General Tiplar!"

"He did," Fives said in a low voice, straightening. He stared at Tup helplessly. "I…I saw him do it."

"Did he say _why?_" Rex asked. His heartbeat was slowing now, the adrenaline rush leaving a subtle shakiness behind. Tup's eyes never focused on any of them, and his head rolled forward now, his body slouching over.

"No!" Fives barely took his eyes off his friend, fear written deeply on his face. "He—a few minutes before he… he was acting… _weird_. He said he didn't feel like himself, and he kept freezing up. I _tried_ to snap him out of it, but…."

Rex looked over his shoulder. The noises of battle had stopped, and General Skywalker had just exchanged words with General Tiplee as she cradled her sister's body on the floor.

"How's he doin', Rex?" Skywalker approached with a grim look on his face.

"I'm… not sure, General," Rex sighed tightly. "It seems like he just… snapped." Rex crouched and shook Tup by the shoulder sharply. "Tup! Can you hear me?"

"Y… yes, Captain," Tup started as if he'd been asleep. He kept eye contact. That was good.

"What happened?"

"W-what do you mean?" Tup stammered. He looked disoriented. And scared.

A dark heat spread in Rex's gut. He shook Tup again, harder "Do you have any idea what you've _done?_" he half-growled, pointing toward General Tiplar's body.

Tup's head jerked, his eyes widening, and for a moment Rex expected the man to break down and confess, or spit out some wild accusation, like traitors always did. But Tup wasn't even looking at him. His eyes roved from left to right to left, his head lolling slightly.

"Good soldiers follow orders," Tup said in a dark, breathy monotone. "Good soldiers follow orders… good soldiers follow orders…."

Rex stared, the tips of his fingers going cold. This wasn't Tup. He had the distinct feeling that the soldier he and Fives knew was far away, buried—eaten by something completely unfamiliar. He'd heard Cody tell stories about mind controlling worms on Geonosis, zombie soldiers animated by an insect hive mind, and for one wild moment Rex wondered if Tup was dead, had been dead this whole time.

"Good soldiers follow orders… good soldiers follow orders… good soldiers follow orders… good soldiers follow orders…."

There was no change in the tone of Tup's voice. He breathed out each repetition half under his breath, like a rookie trying to memorize the reg manual. Rex folded his arms. He had to get a hold of himself, keep a straight face even behind the mask of his helmet.

"What is he talking about?" Kix fretted, kneeling to get a better look at Tup's downturned face.

"I have _no_ idea," said Rex.

Kix laid a hand on Tup's face, pulling his eyelid up to check the dilation of his pupils. Tup showed no response to the touch apart from a slight twitch in his eyelid.

"Good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers follow orders…"

Was it Rex's imagination, or was the chanting coming faster now? Tup's monotonous voice seemed shaded with desperation.

"Good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers follow orders—"

Kix waved a hand in front of Tup's face, frowning when Tup stared right past his fingers.

"Good soldiers follow orders… kill… the Jedi…."

Rex jerked forward, but Tup had already bowled Kix over with a feral scream, lunging for General Tiplee. She raised her hand

A strangled cry was wrenched from Tup's throat as she threw him back against the wall and held him there with the Force.

Rex stood helplessly and watched. He braced himself to act—to restrain Fives, to ask the General to stop, he wasn't sure yet which. Tup writhed against the wall, armor clattering.

Skywalker laid a hand firmly on Tiplee's arm. "We have to get him back to the medical bay before he hurts anyone else."

Tiplee's face was pinched with anger, but she nodded. With a horrible gasp, Tup slid down the wall and panted, his breath ragged. Kix and Fives fell to their knees beside him.

"Do whatever you have to, to get him under control," Skywalker said to Rex in an undertone. "It's going to be hard enough fighting our way back to the medical bay."

"Understood, sir," Rex said.

"Tup… Tup, come _on_." Fives pulled Tup's chin up, tried to make him focus. "Say something."

"Good… soldiers…." Tup rattled.

"I think we better sedate him." Kix pulled out a hypospray with an apologetic look to Fives. "Then one or two of us can carry him back."

Fives nodded, jaw clenched, and angled Tup's head so Kix could get the shot in easier.

"Orders…." Tup slumped against Fives. Fives hefted him up over his shoulders, rising to his feet with a little effort, and Rex reached out to steady him.

"Thanks," Fives said. "Kix, hand me my helmet, will you?"

Kix fetched it off the ground. A moment later they all looked at each other from behind their visors. It was easier sometimes, Rex thought, to face things without their faces visible.

"Let's go, men," he commanded. "We've got a lot of ground to cover."

"Here you go, buddy," Kix said sadly, sliding a spare helmet onto Tup's head. "Don't want those clankers taking any cheap shots."

"They're not getting any while _I'm_ around," Fives growled, shifting his posture so he could hold Tup and his blaster at the same time. "Let's go."

…

The ache and worry was still with Rex when he woke suddenly to the silent walls of the medical frigate. Fives was sitting by Tup, his chin propped up on the backs of his hands, resting on the end of his rifle. The sight reminded him immediately of how upside-down things had turned within the space of a day and the immense effort it had taken to finally get Tup safely on his way to Kamino. And although the days of fighting had been hard, the circumstances of Tup's betrayal weighed heaviest. They were all shaken by seeing one of their own turn so silently and completely, never mind the inexplicable chanting, but Fives was undeniably the most rattled of all. Rex stood and walked over to put a hand on the trooper's shoulder.

"You go on and get some rest, Fives," he offered. "I'll stay with Tup."

A complicated expression moved over Fives' face as he looked up at the Captain. "I'm… not sure if I can sleep right now. It's alright. I don't mind staying up."

"That was an order," Rex said sternly. "You've hardly slept at all since the battle started. We'll probably have to return to the front lines as soon as we hand Tup over to the doctors on Kamino. There's no room for slip-ups on this campaign. We can't risk fighting with soldiers who aren't healthy."

Fives looked away and sighed heavily. The longer Rex stared at Tup's inert form, the more tension he felt rising in his gut. Something about this whole situation meant change on the horizon for all of them. Rumors of a Sith virus designed to make clones turn senselessly violent was unsettling to say the least. If something like that spread, how could they possibly keep up the fight?

Rex told himself that it was useless to worry until they had some answers about Tup's condition. For the moment, he only hoped that the doctors on Kamino found the truth.

"I just don't get it," Fives grumbled. "How could a _virus _do something like this? Tup doesn't have any memory of what he did. It's like he's not even himself! And what's all this 'good soldiers follow orders' thing about?"

"I dunno," Rex sighed. "But I don't like it."

Fives stared hard at Tup. "Maybe the enemy got to him while he was missing? How many rotations was that?"

"Four or five."

"He seemed normal when we found him. I just thought he was tired."

"I don't think the enemy could have brainwashed him while he was stuck in that cave in," Rex said, remembering the explosion that had cut Tup off from the rest of them. "He spent all that time trying to dig free of all that debris… he and Comma were both worn out when we got to them. If there was a way for the enemy to get to them while they were in there, there would have been a way for them both to get out before we found them."

"Yeah… you're right." Fives sighed.

"Guess it was a good thing we got pushed back that way, or we never would have realized those two were still alive."

"If Comma hadn't been killed by that Destroyer, we would know if it happened while they were trapped together." Fives' hands moved in restless gestures. "All I know is, before we got to that room where General Tiplar died, Tup was _not_ acting crazy. We talked to each other whenever there was a break in the fighting, just like we always do. He was fine! How could he be fine one second, and… and _kill a Jedi_ the next? And if it's a virus, how can it just turn off and on like that? It's like something triggered it… but… the conditions of the battle hadn't changed _that_ much." A frustrated noise came from the back of his throat. "I just can't figure it out. Doesn't it worry you? What if this could happen to the rest of us?"

"Of course it worries me," Rex said. It worried him more than he cared to admit. "But like Kix said, we just don't have the ability to figure out what's wrong with him on our own. Our duty is to get Tup safely to Kamino. They'll know what's wrong with him…."

So he hoped. But if this was the handiwork of the Sith, they would have tried to develop something that was incurable or too fast-spreading for the Kaminoan doctors to prevent. Rex could see Fives turning things over and over in his mind. The trooper was going to keep going around in circles until he wore himself down.

"Hey." He shoved Fives to nudge him off the stool by Tup's bed. "Didn't I just order you to go get some rest?"

"Alright, alright," Fives grinned, but it was short-lived. "You'll wake me up if anything changes, won't you, sir? I… I want to be there for him if he dies."

Rex nodded. "I will. Now go!"

Fives gave a weak smile in thanks before laying a hand on Tup's arm. "Hang in there, buddy," he said, so quietly Rex barely heard it.

As Fives' footsteps retreated to the cot in the back of the ship, Rex took his place on the seat by Tup's bed and stared at the sedated trooper. He did not look good. Tup was pale, the teardrop tattoo under his right eye standing out more starkly than normal. His breaths came rhythmically, audibly against the breathing mask he wore, and every so often his arms and legs seized as if even in his sleep he was tormented by a mindless urge to kill. He had looked so scared when Fives had told him what he'd done. Rex had seen men panic before, but not like this… not panic in the face of one's self, strapped down and surrounded by allies.

If this _was_ some plan of the enemy's, to make the Grand Army of the Republic turn against the Republic itself, why was it killing Tup? Rex glanced over his shoulder at where Fives was lying, trying to sleep. The thought that he and the rest of the men could snap like this at any moment couldn't be ignored. They were all the same. What affected one would logically affect all of them the same way. Perhaps that was the enemy's plan—make the clone armies turn against each other and then die off like insects once their use had been fulfilled. It reminded him all too much of how General Krell had lied to them and sent them out into the mists of Umbara to wipe each other out. The sick anger and betrayal they'd all felt that day was still lodged in Rex's throat whenever he thought about it.

He couldn't let that happen. No way would he stand by this time and let himself and his men be turned against their brothers. As soon as they got back, he was going to have a talk with General Skywalker… before something even worse happened.

…

"Welcome back, Captain!" Jesse clapped Rex on the arm, grinning wide.

The trip to Kamino had mercifully concluded without incident, and Rex was pleased to find the battle had been going well upon his return to Ringo Vinda. They had managed to slip past the enemy ships in the midst of a quickly-won firefight, and now all that was left was to clean up the last of the droid stragglers inside the station.

"Where's Fives?" Kix asked.

"He had to stay behind," said Rex, and left it at that when he saw General Skywalker approaching. "Excuse me." He moved past his men and hurried to meet the General. Skywalker stopped and let him approach.

"Hey, Rex! I'm guessing the rest of your flight to Kamino went off without a hitch?"

"Yes, sir. Could I have a word with you in private?"

Skywalker's relieved smile faded quickly. He nodded and turned aside into one of the many empty shuttles in the hangar. They found the cockpit empty, but Rex didn't sit, and the General turned to face him squarely.

"Alright. What's on your mind?"

"Sir. Nala Se—the doctor on Kamino who's taking care of Tup—she asked that Fives be kept behind in case he'd been infected by the virus or… whatever it is that's making Tup act this way. But if Fives has been infected, then so have I. And so have all the rest of the men who were near him. I didn't want to disobey your orders to return to the battlefield, sir, but I respectfully ask that I be allowed to return to Kamino as soon as possible."

The General's expression was thoughtful, but unconcerned. "Did the doctor actually say Fives was infected?"

"No, sir, she just said he might be. But even if he isn't, I probably am, and at least he's under Kaminoan supervision now. I may not seem infected yet, but it could be waiting for the right trigger. Tup seemed perfectly fine before he snapped too."

"What makes you think _you're_ infected?" Anakin peered at him suspiciously. "Are you saying you feel something?"

"No, sir. I feel just the same as always." Rex glanced away a moment, reconsidering what to say. "But _you _heard what General Tiplee said about an anti-clone virus. Fives and I are the most likely to have had it passed on to us; we've been with Tup the most since he snapped."

"But I need you here," Skywalker said stubbornly. "It's bad enough Fives didn't come back! I need all my best men in case the Separatists regroup to try and take back the station."

"Do you really think that's going to happen, sir? Isn't it better to send us away instead of losing us to this virus first, and maybe—"

"Rex, come on," Skywalker laughed nervously, reaching toward his shoulder. "That's not going to happen. I know this situation's got all of us a little scared, but—"

"I'm not scared of what will happen to _me_, General!" Rex said, shrugging away from the General's hand and pointing out toward the troopers in the rest of the hangar. "I'm scared of what might happen to everyone else! To you, and all the rest of the Jedi, and my brothers!"

"You're going to be fighting right next to me for the rest of this battle," Skywalker said. "Don't you think I could stop you from anything you might try to do? Unless… there's something you're not telling me?"

"No, sir," Rex repeated. "But I have a bad feeling about this."

Skywalker's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Are you saying you _sense_ something?"

"Of course not, General." Rex had almost forgotten about the General's vision. "Nothing like that. But with all due respect, I think it would be wise to take the situation a little more seriously."

"I _am_ taking it seriously. What do you want me to do?" Skywalker asked, spreading his hands. "Send the entire squad back to Kamino and clean up the rest of the droids myself?"

"That wasn't what I suggested. I'm only requesting that _I _be sent back to Kamino for now. You managed without me while we were taking Tup home. Whether I show signs of infection first or they find a cure, I'd rather be there instead of here when it happens."

"Hmm." Skywalker did not look happy about that. "I think there _is _something you're not telling me. You seem awfully sure you're going to end up like Tup."

Rex hesitated. The images that lived in the back of his mind were not something he had ever shared with anyone. They were things never meant to be consciously recalled, and he couldn't put them into words now. So he chose a half truth instead.

"Maybe I'm starting to wonder if your vision was on to something after all."

"Oh." The General clenched his fists and half-folded his arms. "Well, you might have a point, then." He fell silent and Rex waited, letting him work it out on his own. Rex still couldn't really believe he would ever use the Force, or ever try to talk his friends into a betrayal of all they had fought and died for. This vision couldn't really be true… he couldn't believe that. But he had to use whatever he could to get the General's permission.

"I'm sticking with what Master Yoda said," Skywalker said at last. "Until something happens, your place is here." He pointed at the ground right next to him. "That's my final decision."

And that was that. "Yes, sir," Rex said, and was glad to be dismissed.

…

He found Kix and Jesse checking their equipment in a supply room off the main hangar. They wasted no time in asking after Tup and Fives.

"They're just running some tests on Fives," Rex said. "To make sure he's not also infected."

"Did they say they could save Tup or not?" Jesse asked.

"No. Nothing for sure. But they've got their best doctor working on him."

"Poor Tup. I wish I could have done more to help him," Kix sighed. "But I've never seen anything like that before."

Rex took a deep breath, glancing around to make sure none of the other troopers were close enough to hear. "Listen... I need to ask both of you a favor."

Jesse and Kix kept their eyes on him, waiting.

"What is it, Captain?" Kix asked.

"If I show _any_ sign of aggression toward Jedi," Rex said, forcing himself to stare back at them. "Anything like what you saw Tup doing, I want you to shoot me down. Immediately."

"_What?_" Kix blurted. Jesse just blinked as if he'd been smacked.

"You can't hesitate," Rex continued firmly. "I talked to Fives. He said Tup only started acting strange a few minutes before shooting General Tiplar. There can _not_ be another incident like that."

"But Captain," Kix struggled, almost laughing in his dismay. "Rex, you can't—you're not asking us to kill you? I'd stun you, sure, and take you to Kamino just like you and Fives did for Tup. But I am _not _killing one of my own brothers—especially you!"

"That is exactly what I'm asking you to do," Rex said in a low voice. "We can't let this virus spread to the rest of the army. Think of what could happen if every clone ended up like Tup!"

"But," Kix went on desperately, "Let's be rational about this. What's the point in targeting you specifically? I mean… how do we know all of us aren't already infected?"

"We don't," Rex said. "But since we can't tell yet who is, the only thing we can do is eliminate the source of contagion whenever it shows itself. I expect you to take down _anyone_ you notice behaving strangely—but since Fives and I spent the most time in direct contact with Tup, I'm the most likely to be infected right now."

Kix opened his mouth to argue.

Rex lifted a hand to cut him off. "I'll make it an order if I have to."

"I'll do it, Captain," Jesse sighed.

"Thanks Jesse. Kix? I need you to promise me you'll do this. For the Republic. And for all the rest of your brothers. I'd rather die quickly by a blaster bolt to the head than watch some virus destroy everything I've fought for from the inside out. And I _know_ you feel the same way. We all do."

Kix took a deep breath and nodded once, looking miserable. "Yes sir," he said quietly. "I promise."

…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Some dialogue and events in this chapter were taken directly from episode 6x4 "Orders"

* * *

**Chapter 4**

…

In a brownish blur the padawan fell. Another shot pierced her back, then her head, just to be sure. He could only see a corner of her face.

"What's the matter? Rex?"

The hushed but sharp voice cut into his mind, out of place amongst the blaster fire and familiar, pained voices. Someone grabbed his arm and he thrashed to get away.

"Wake _up_, Rex!" The hand shook him; his eyes opened to a dark ceiling and a familiar face.

"Wha—Cody?" Rex gasped.

"Yeah."

All at once the dream fell away, swallowed into the recesses of his mind, and he remembered: He was back on Coruscant. The battle was over.

"What's the matter with you?" Cody whispered roughly from where he stood by Rex's bunk, but he didn't look angry. "All this tossing around's not helping me get any sleep, you know."

Rex looked around the command barracks; everyone lay quiet.

"Sorry," Rex said, and sat up, rubbing his aching head. He was still breathing a little faster than he should have. "What… what time is it?"

"About oh-four-hundred hours," Cody shrugged. "Are you okay now?"

Rex nodded, although really, he felt sick. He felt flooded with an intense darkness, one continuing to surround him despite his wakefulness like a pack of menacing shadows in the night.

Cody looked at him skeptically, arms folded. "Do I, uh… need to take you to a medic?"

"I'm fine." Rex sighed and lay back down. "Go back to sleep. Aren't you shipping out tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Ord Radama." He heard Cody sit down on the lower bunk. "And you?"

Rex breathed, trying to focus on reality and not on the images of Jedi dying—of feeling in himself an overwhelming imperative he couldn't consciously accept, but was helpless to disobey. Tup's voice ricocheted around in his skull. _Good soldiers follow orders._

Rex shuddered, but spoke calmly. "I think we're being held in reserve for the attack on Xagobah… as soon as you and the other fleets break through. I'll be meeting with General Skywalker to discuss everything."

He hadn't been summoned to any such meeting, but he knew one would be necessary. He couldn't go to Xagobah with this hanging over him, not without at least trying to talk to the General again. And hopefully there would be some news of the conditions of Tup and Fives.

"Well then. I'll see you at the victory celebration afterward," said Cody confidently.

"Yeah."

"Hmm. What's with that tone of voice?" Cody said. "You don't think we'll win? Have a little confidence in the Jedi's plan."

"I'm sure _they _all know what they're doing," Rex said to the ceiling. "I didn't mean it like that."

"You're worried about the men, then," Cody guessed, voice low.

Rex knew he didn't have to say anything more. Cody had read him as well as he could have, under the circumstances.

He jumped when the Commander's face appeared next to his again. Cody jerked his head toward the door.

"Hey. Let's go for a walk."

"At oh-four-hundred hours?" Rex came up on one elbow. "I thought you wanted to sleep."

"Just a short one. We can talk without waking anyone else."

Cody stood back to let him get down off the top bunk, and together they crept toward the hallway. The door's opening and closing was all too loud, but once they were on the other side, Rex already felt a little better.

"I'd be pretty shook up too if one of my men tried to kill a Jedi," Cody said immediately. "Heard anything more about this virus?"

"Not yet." Rex headed left. "I didn't realize you knew about it."

Cody fell into step beside him. "I'm pretty sure the news was passed to all the commanding officers. Why wouldn't it be?"

Rex shrugged. "I guess I hoped there wouldn't be any need to warn everybody else. But I am glad that the Jedi are taking this seriously."

"They don't really have a choice, do they? After all, it was a Jedi Tup killed."

"Yeah." Rex swallowed.

The corridor was so quiet and empty. It felt a bit surreal, just him and Cody in a dim hallway with only their footsteps and voices. But safe.

"I asked General Skywalker to send me back to Kamino," Rex said, before he could hesitate. "Fives stayed behind because the doctors said Tup might have infected him. I figured… if he's at risk, then so am I."

"And… General Skywalker said no?" Cody asked.

"He said we wait for a sign that something's wrong." Rex glanced at Cody's concerned look and sighed. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. It's not like…." It's not like they didn't go out to battle every day, knowing either one of them might not survive.

"This isn't like anything we've ever faced before," said Cody. His tone said he understood.

Rex glanced over again. Cody looked back at him simply; no avoidance, no questioning.

"I prefer my enemies where I can see them." Rex raised a hand as if aiming his pistol between the eyes of some invisible battle droid. But then he just stared at his palm. "We're always supposed to be prepared for anything they can throw at us."

"Sounds like you've already decided what you have to do," said Cody. "Can't be much more prepared than that."

"Right." The thought of his conversation with Jesse and Kix was chilling and comforting at the same time. And if the worst happened, and they were all infected… at least they would know their termination in that case would be just and necessary, not an execution at the whim of a madman.

He heard Cody take a deep breath next to him and wondered if they shared a similar train of thought. They walked in silence for a few more minutes, and Rex tried to find something else to think about.

"So. Ord Radama," Rex finally said. "Isn't that a swamp planet? I know how you hate swamps."

"Yeah," Cody shrugged. "It's all been paved over by cities now though, so… unless the separatists decide to hide in the muck, it won't be so bad. Then again, knowing General Kenobi… we'll end up enlisting some giant swamp snake in a sneak attack."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Rex agreed.

"That's the thing about General Kenobi," said Cody, smirking. "He's just as creative as General Skywalker, but without all the mess."

"Heh. What mess? _You_ didn't see General Skywalker back on Ringo Vinda. That was one of the most well-coordinated attacks I have seen this entire war. Even after fighting for days straight, our casualties were much less than the other generals had. I mean… that is, until…."

"Does General Skywalker usually listen to you?" Cody broke in, saving Rex from having to finish the thought.

"What? Yeah… why?"

"Just wondering."

Rex stared at Cody, curious about what spurred this train of thought. "Does General Kenobi usually listen to _you?_"

"More often than not." Cody's tone was satisfied. "He respects my opinion. We're… good friends, you might say."

"We got lucky," Rex said gravely, thinking back on how leniently Skywalker had reacted to his outburst outside Master Yoda's quarters. Some other captain might not have been given such free rein by his Jedi General. Most other Jedi might not hate clones like General Krell had, but Rex had his doubts that all Jedi respected clones as well as Skywalker and Kenobi did.

"Yes… we got lucky," Cody agreed. "I'm sure General Skywalker is doing what he thinks is best, keeping you on the front lines, but I'll admit… I wonder what General Kenobi would say if you asked _him_ what to do."

"Who knows?" Rex said evenly. "I'm not his responsibility. And I could never go behind my General's back like that."

"Oh, I wasn't suggesting anything," said Cody. "I just think I got the better Jedi."

"Well," said Rex. "I'm just glad General Skywalker and General Kenobi work together so often."

"I'm with you there," Cody agreed, briefly gripping his shoulder. "Wish you were coming to Ord Radama. I've got a feeling we're gonna need all the help we can get."

They reached a fork in the hall and paused. The silence swallowed them again, and Rex's dreams throbbed in the back of his head.

"Guess we should head back," Rex sighed.

"You sure?" Cody looked unconvinced by Rex's tone. "That wasn't much of a walk. I could go around the whole way." The left hallway would eventually lead them back to the command barracks

Rex smiled a little despite himself. "Well… why not?"

"We do need to sleep eventually, but, you know," Cody waved a hand. "Just sometime. It won't take us ten minutes to lap this."

"We're just adding some extra security," Rex agreed.

"Exactly. Who needs armor?"

"Or weapons." As Rex laughed gratefully under his breath, he thought suddenly of Cut Lawquane, the deserter who had a wife and children and a farm somewhere on Saleucami. He thought of what he'd said to him as they'd parted to their separate lives. Rex really knew very little of family in the traditional sense, but as he and Cody walked close together down these quiet hallways, Rex just couldn't find it in himself to believe that anyone felt more strongly about their family than he did for his.

He would gladly give his life to protect them. And not just Cody, although they were especially close… there were so many of his brothers who would do—and had already done—the same. He could name them in strings of dozens if he wanted to. Hundreds, by now. And for those who were still fighting, who supported each other not only on the physical battlefield, but like this, on the battlefield of an unspoken nightmare, he would never let those nightmares come true. He would never stand by again, closing his eyes as his family was turned against itself by some twisted force, fooling himself into believing he was helpless.

…

The wind was rarely too strong on Coruscant, or too cold. More often, it was tepid and restless, rippling out from the lanes of rushing air traffic. Rex squinted against the glint of Skywalker's speeder as he landed. The General beckoned him over without getting out of the craft.

Rex jogged across to him.

"Morning, Captain Rex," Skywalker said, twisting in the driver's seat to face him. "I thought since you requested a private meeting, we could take a drive. We're not likely to be overheard that way."

"Very good, General," Rex said, and jumped neatly into the passenger seat. Skywalker had left the engine running, and pulled the shuttle up and away before Rex could say anything more.

Once they had settled into the flow of traffic, Skywalker left one hand on the steering and looked over at Rex. "Alright, so what's this all about?"

"Before I explain, sir, I was wondering if you've heard any news about Tup's condition."

"Right," Skywalker grimaced. "I _have_ been trying to get through to Kamino, but they just keep telling me not to worry. All I know is that Fives and Tup are being kept under strict quarantine until a cure can be found."

"That's good news, sir," Rex said, although a more substantial update would have been nice. "I'd like to repeat my request that I be sent back to Kamino as soon as possible."

"Oh yeah? Has something changed that I should know about?" Skywalker didn't look pleased.

"Not… exactly, General. It just seems like the smart thing to do."

Skywalker narrowed his eyes, his hair whipping as he swerved the speeder into another lane. "You're pretty insistent about this. It's not like you to fight against my orders."

"I mean no disrespect, sir. But I do have a responsibility to my men."

"Yes you do: a responsibility to lead them. Are you saying your ability to do that has been compromised?"

"No, sir. Not yet." Rex frowned. "But… have you given any more thought to whether this is related to your vision?"

"I have." Skywalker narrowly avoided a traffic jam by detouring down a narrow alley. "I hate to say it, but the way Tup was acting isn't anything like what I saw in my dream. You seemed fully aware of your actions. I'm not saying it isn't related… it very well could be. But Master Yoda says that sometimes if we try too hard to prevent the future we see, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."

"I would request to be sent to Kamino even if you hadn't had your vision, sir. This is a serious threat regardless of how it might relate to me specifically. Do you really want to risk being shot down by one of your own men?"

"General Tiplar didn't have any warning. I do. That'll be enough to prevent it from happening again."

Rex fell silent. He didn't know what more he could do to convince the General; stating the obvious never worked once Skywalker had made up his mind on something.

They drove for several minutes before the General glanced over at him again.

"Was there anything else you wanted to tell me, Rex?" Skywalker's tone was almost parental. "Or will I have to keep wondering what's making you take this so personally?"

If he said no, he would be agreeing not to bring this up again. Rex hesitated.

"You're not the worrying type. There has to be something else on your mind. If you know something more, you need to tell me."

"It's nothing, sir," Rex sighed, staring out at the city. "I've just been having some bad dreams of my own, that's all."

"What do you mean?" Skywalker's voice slowed with seriousness. "What kind of dreams?"

"Just combat dreams." Rex kept his tone casual. "You know… but they've been a lot worse ever since Ringo Vinda. A lot more… specific…."

"Describe them to me," Anakin demanded.

Rex looked over. "Is… that an order, General?"

"Yes, it is."

"I'd rather not, sir."

Skywalker looked alarmed. "Rex, I _never _have to repeat orders to you. These dreams can't possibly be worse than anything we've already lived through in this war."

Rex looked down at his hands. "You'd be surprised, sir."

"Look. You can tell me about these nightmares, or we can head to the Jedi Temple right now and have one of the Jedi Masters ask you about them."

Of all the things Skywalker could have threatened, he just had to pick the very worst.

"That won't be necessary, General," Rex said uncomfortably.

The General waited for him to gather his thoughts. Rex didn't even know how to begin.

"They're usually… pretty vague, anyway," he fumbled. "Screams, people dying… but there aren't any droids. It's all people."

"Just random people? Or people you know?"

"People I know."

Rex's elbow was resting on the side of the speeder. He lifted his hand and rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes.

"Like who?"

Rex took a deep breath.

"Jedi."

There, it was out. Just saying those two syllables set a hot current of nausea through his body like an electrical shock.

"And you're not able to hold back the enemy?" Skywalker's voice was low, barely audible over the wind of their speed. "You're trapped watching them die."

"No, sir," Rex said shakily. "You don't understand. It's worse than that. I'm not the one defending the Jedi. I'm the one killing them."

A few seconds of chilled silence passed before Rex, feeling physically ill, forced himself to look at the General.

Skywalker glanced back at him with an unreadable look before pulling the speeder suddenly into an open parking space.

"Do_ you _think you're seeing the future?" Skywalker spoke with hushed intensity as soon as they'd come to a complete stop.

"If I am," Rex said, "I'd rather not live to see it."

"But does it feel like the dream means anything?"

"No, sir." Rex swallowed, ashamed. "I'm sure it has to do with what happened to Tup. Seeing him kill General Tiplar like that… it… it must have triggered something."

"You said you have these dreams a lot?"

"Yes, sir. But not this clearly."

"But it's always Jedi?"

Rex squeezed his eyes shut. "Yes."

"Was it anyone specific this time?"

"Yes."

"Who was it?" Skywalker stared at him so intently it was almost a glare, and after a few awful seconds, Rex couldn't keep eye contact. "Rex."

"I'm sorry, sir," he said tightly. "I'm not trying to disobey orders—"

"Just answer the question. A name. Any name."

Rex glanced desperately around to make sure there was no one near. The platform they were idling next to was empty.

"Spit it out!"

"General Kenobi. It was General Kenobi." Rex stole a painful glimpse of Skywalker's disturbed expression before he continued in a defeated whisper. "And… you as well, General. Both of you. And Commander Tano."

"Ahsoka too?" Skywalker stared at Rex, shock and disgust plain on his face.

Rex nodded mutely and swallowed the nausea in his throat.

"What kind of weapon were you using?"

"Sir?" Rex hardly thought that was important.

"What kind?" Skywalker repeated.

"My DC-17s, I think." Rex shut his eyes, miserably trying to remember details even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Yeah. Some kind of blaster, anyway. Why?"

"Not a lightsaber," Skywalker murmured. "But that doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"General… I don't think my dreams have anything to do with seeing the future. How could they? I'm not a Jedi. I don't think clones can _have_ prophetic visions."

"The Force is a part of every living thing," Skywalker said half to himself, staring at his hands gripping the steering wheel. "It influences everything, whether we realize it or not… the only difference is that a Jedi is aware of the flow of the Force, and can make use of it. The will of the Force is the will of the universe for everything in it. That definitely includes clones."

"Unfortunately," Rex muttered, "I don't find that thought very reassuring right now."

"No one is immune from the lure of the Dark Side, Rex. Every Jedi can feel it, but we're not the only ones who can fall." For a moment the General looked uncomfortable in a different way, but then he focused back on Rex. "You did the right thing, telling me about this. But I'm not going to send you to Kamino. At least, not yet."

"But, sir—!"

Anakin held up a hand to silence him. "I..." he looked conflicted. "I will talk to the Council about this."

Rex grimaced and looked away. The last thing he wanted was for the details of his... deficiency... to be advertised in front of the entire Jedi Council.

"The Kaminoans are doing their own research on Tup and Fives already. Sending you there isn't going to help find a cure for this virus faster, and anyway," Anakin glanced at Rex, "we both know something more sinister might be at work here. I think the Jedi will want to do their own tests."

Rex took a deep breath.

Anakin continued. "If there's any chance my vision and your dream are related... we've got to get to the bottom of this." The General lifted the speeder up to swing back toward the barracks.

Rex stayed silent and focused on the way the wind pressed into his skin, struggling to dispel the awful suffocating feeling that gripped him in the chest. He had never paid much attention to his dreams, knowing they were too awful to ever come true—dreams were illogical and people and places were often very different from their counterparts in reality. But the mere suggestion that such nightmares could mean something was enough to change the feeling surrounding the images into something much more incriminating.

If Tup could kill a Jedi, maybe anything was possible.

By the time Skywalker pulled onto the barracks' landing pad, Rex had managed to calm down a bit simply by reminding himself over and over that worrying never won any battles.

"I will contact you once the Council has made a decision," Skywalker said. "In the meantime, try to limit your contact with others."

"I will continue to, sir," Rex said, feeling slightly guilty about his impromptu walk with Cody. Rex climbed out onto the platform and turned to salute goodbye. "And I know you and the Council will do what's best for the Republic."

Skywalker's face, which had been set in a grim mask the whole drive back, relaxed slightly. "The fact that you're so concerned about these dreams makes me feel pretty confident that you would never betray the Republic on your own. So let's just hope we can figure out the enemy's plan in time to stop them."

"Believe me, sir," Rex said gruffly. "If the enemy plans to use me against you, they won't succeed."

The General said nothing to that. He just stared searchingly at Rex for a long moment, before he pulled the speeder up and away into the air.

…

"Rex! Come in, Captain." Skywalker's voice came urgently through Rex's communicator just as he was about to clean up for the night.

Rex snapped up the communicator. "What is it, General?"

"There's been a report that Fives tried to assassinate Chancellor Palpatine. I want you to order the 501st to—"

Around the zinging chill down his spine, Rex forced himself to focus on the rest of the order.

"—the search. He was last seen running in the general direction of the barracks. If we find him first, we can make sure he's brought in alive for questioning!"

"Yes, sir." Rex said, thinking fast. "I'll meet up with you at the transit terminal on the southwest corner of sector H. He'll probably have to pass through there if he's trying to get away on foot."

"I'll see you there. Get your men moving!"

Ten minutes later, Rex was in armor and dividing his troops via comm to systematically comb as much of the area surrounding the Senate district as they could. As his speeder bike tore through the night, his dread hardened into resolve. He gripped the controls tightly. This was it. Fives was already lost to this virus or whatever it was. Rex knew he was next. He probably only had a matter of hours left.

When he and the half-dozen men who accompanied him landed on the terminal, the crowds were thick. The night was young and the city residents had a few hours to go before things really died down.

"Spread out," Rex ordered them, splitting them off to right and left with quick hand signals. "Check the ID of every clone you see!" He put his hands on his pistols but didn't draw them as he watched his men disperse. The low whine of another speeder came up behind him, and he turned to see Skywalker hopping out.

"Any sign of him?" the General asked.

"No, sir. When did Fives arrive on Coruscant?"

"Less than an hour ago."

"And Tup?" Rex asked, although he thought he knew.

"He's dead. Master Shaak Ti and the Kaminoan doctor brought Fives here so he could be examined at the hospital." Skywalker led Rex behind a glass platform partition and sighed roughly. "Fives seems to be having delusions that the Jedi created some kind of conspiracy, and that that's why Tup died. The Chancellor wanted to talk to him about it and find out if there was any truth to his claims… and that's when Fives snapped and tried to kill him."

"I see," Rex said calmly. "Have you mentioned my case to the Council yet?"

"No," Anakin said. "I haven't had the opportunity."

Rex said nothing, a cold, sick certainty settling into his nerves. He pressed his hands down on the handles of his pistols, feeling their reassuring weight on his belt.

"I know what you're thinking, Rex," Skywalker said warningly. "But there's still a chance to find a cure if we can catch Fives and figure out what's going on!"

"No, General," Rex said firmly. "We are out of time. If Fives has snapped, I could go the same way any minute. I'm turning myself in for termination. Once you catch Fives… hopefully, between the two of us, the doctors will find enough information to prevent anyone else from ending up this way."

"What?" Skywalker gasped out a shocked breath, almost a laugh. "You can't do that, Rex! You don't even know yet that Fives is infected!" His voice started to rise. "He could be acting of his own free will!"

"No!" Rex repeated. "I know Fives. He would never do this, sir, not without this virus affecting him. He would never try to harm the Chancellor! He was a good soldier—a good _man!_"

"You're talking like he's dead already," Skywalker said, his voice straining with forced patience. "We might still be able to save him, but in order to do that I need _you_ to help me find him! You can't just run off and ask the Kaminoans to kill you! How is that supposed to help anything?!"

"The longer I wait, the greater the chance of spreading this to the rest of the men!" Rex took in the crowd with swift jerk of his arm.

"But we don't _know anything_ yet! What if you were never even infected? Fives could have gotten sick _after_ you left him on Kamino!"

"Sterilization procedures would never have allowed that, sir. They would have been separately quarantined." Rex shook his head and turned his back to the General, drawing his pistols although his men reported no threat. "No, General. I've accepted the truth of the situation, and I _will_ do what is necessary. _You've _got to accept it, too. You're a Jedi, sir. I know you understand situations like this."

"Jedi act from an understanding of principles, not from fear and supposition!" Skywalker growled. "And I am _not_ going to let you do something this drastic on a _guess!_"

"We can't hesitate, sir." Rex couldn't keep the pointed weight out of his voice. "_Hesitation_ gets people _killed_. We've seen that proven over and over on the battlefield. We have been trained to sacrifice our lives if necessary, for the good of the team, and the Republic. Why is this any different?"

"Because this is suicide you're talking about!" The General shoved him lightly on the chest. Rex caught himself and stood firmly, unintimidated. "Don't you value your own life? At least enough to ask for a diagnosis instead of a lethal injection?!"

"I do value my life, General," Rex said quietly. "As much as you value yours. As much as every one of these men values his own life—and that is why I have to do this. Because I'm no different from them, and my life is definitely not worth more than the lives of ten, of a hundred or a thousand or a million of theirs!"

Skywalker pulled himself up to his full height, his face contorting in a quick series of conflicted emotion. For a moment Rex thought he was going to see sense. But then the General shook his head.

"Look. I understand what you're trying to say, but you're a valuable Captain, Rex, and you're avoiding your duty! You are _not_ just another clone—men like you don't come along every day. I wasn't kidding when I said I need you with me. No one else can do your job like you can."

The General's voice had gone low, pulling at him with sincerity instead of outrage. It was just another tactic, a desperate one.

"I'm sorry, sir, but that is simply not true." Rex looked past the General, scanning the crowd and keeping a mental note on his men's locations. "I've worked with many fine officers, and any one of them could serve you just as well. As for tonight, I've assigned Singer to lead the 501st in the search for Fives once I'm gone."

"Once you're gone," Skywalker muttered disgustedly under his breath. "I can't believe you're willing to throw your life away so lightly. I expect better from you, Rex. But it doesn't matter… you're still under my command, and I_ order_ you to forget about this death-wish of yours and stick with the search until we've located Fives!"

Rex opened his mouth and had to clench his jaw against the "yes, sir," that instinctively waited at the back of his throat. He looked around at the crowd—his men had moved on—and thought of Fives out there, this madness killing him slowly, driving him on a desperate run through the underbelly of Coruscant. When his eyes settled again on Skywalker's smugly commanding face, he felt the sickness from his dream, and the hurt and anger rose in his throat and came tumbling out in a quick, tight growl before he could stop them.

"I don't have a death-wish! _No_ clone wants to throw his life away! Maybe you forget that, sir. Maybe everyone does—because we _are_ all the same, we're expendable, and generals like Krell only see us as cannon fodder! The casualties—the number of _dead clones_—in this war keeps climbing by the hundreds, by the thousands some days! If every general allowed their clone commanders to seek the most strategic route instead of using them as a human shield like we were battle droids, those numbers would be much fewer. It's not _us_ who are reckless with our lives, General! It's not us who throw them away lightly!"

Rex took a sharp breath to stop himself from saying any more. Skywalker's stern, commanding expression had crumbled into dismay. His arms were limp at his sides.

"Rex… do you really believe I think of you like that?"

Rex took a few steps away and steeled himself to apologize for his outburst, but Skywalker went on in a saddened tone.

"Haven't I proven that I care about my men as individuals? You're not just weapons to me… none of you are."

Rex lifted his head and looked at him steadily, remembering what Master Yoda had said about the General's weaknesses. "I'm sorry, General. I _have_ always admired you. Every time we entered the battlefield, I knew I could trust you with the lives of my company. No war is without its casualties, but you were always looking for ways to limit them. And I thank you for that. I know the 501st will continue to be in good hands when I'm gone."

Skywalker clenched his fists. "Rex… do not do this." He said it like an order, but Rex heard it as a plea.

"Sorry, sir. If you try to stop me, I'll do it myself."

Rex raised his right hand; his grip on the pistol was firm, and he felt oddly calm. Skywalker's face took on a wild look.

"_Rex!_" The General shouted, and reached out a hand to pull the pistol away, but at that moment, a beep sounded loudly in Rex's ear. It was coming from his wrist communicator.

"Captain Rex?" A clone's voice came from the other end.

Rex lowered the gun so he could speak into the communicator, but he kept his left hand raised.

"This is Rex."

"This is Kix. I have a message for you. Are you alone? Is anyone else listening?"

"It's just me and General Skywalker. What is it?" Rex kept his voice low.

"It's Fives," Kix's voice sounded uneasy even over the communicator. "I ran into him a few seconds ago. He wants to meet with you and General Skywalker immediately. You can't bring any other troops with you… said he had something important to tell you, sir."

"Where is he now?" Skywalker came close so he could speak to Kix as well. "Were you able to capture him?"

"No, General." There was a moment of silence on the link. "I… I let him go. I understand there will be consequences for that, sir. I accept full responsibility for my actions."

"Why didn't you stop him?" Skywalker demanded. "We have to find him so the Jedi Council can question him before anyone else interferes!"

"I'm sorry, sir. Fives said he's being framed! He was talking about some kind of conspiracy against the Jedi. But he left before I could get him to explain anything else…."

Rex looked at the General, alarmed. "Conspiracy _against_ the Jedi?" he breathed.

"I told him to turn himself in, but he said he wanted to talk to you first, General. You and Captain Rex. He was pretty well convinced that this was the only way he'd have a chance to explain everything to you."

"I've got the coordinates, Kix," Rex said. "Well done. General Skywalker and I were hoping to find him before anyone else. This just makes our job that much easier. Rex out."

"Where are we headed?" Skywalker asked as they both ran for his speeder.

"Sector I-9."

…

It was silent in the transport as they hurried across the city, Rex seated above General Skywalker in the cockpit. His mind was racing. Kix seemed to believe Fives, despite what the medic had seen on Ringo Vinda. That must mean Fives was still fairly coherent. Perhaps the virus was acting on him more slowly. Rex wondered if he'd even recognize his friend.

"If this virus is part of some plot against the Jedi," Skywalker suddenly said, his voice grave, "Fives might be on to something after all. But that still doesn't explain why he would try to assassinate the Chancellor. He's going to have a lot to answer for if he survives this."

"Maybe he couldn't help it, sir," Rex said uneasily. "You saw what happened to Tup. He didn't have any control over killing General Tiplar. Or someone could be framing Fives, like he said. What if Fives figured out who gave him the virus, and they decided that framing him would be the best way to make sure we never found out the truth?"

"Hmm. Well… we'll let him talk, but we're going to have to take him into custody afterward either way."

"Understood."

They started their descent, deep into the shaft that allowed access to the lower levels. The collective light of the city faded and they were surrounded by the dimmer illumination of doorways and their own vehicle's headlights. The two-man shuttle swerved gracefully down onto a small landing platform.

Skywalker climbed out, and Rex hopped down from the top to follow, trying to shake himself free of a sense of impending disaster. There was hope of preventing the worst. Maybe even of saving Fives… despite all his attempts to be pragmatic, Rex could feel that hope swelling painfully in him.

"Well," Skywalker said over his shoulder as they walked toward the slim black opening between the warehouse doors. "These are the coordinates Kix gave us. Let's hope Fives is inside."

"Eh," Rex sighed unhappily. "I hope he knows what he's doing."

For a moment, gazing into the dark interior of the warehouse, Rex wished he hadn't left his helmet in the shuttle. But then Skywalker ignited his lightsaber. The blue glow cast stark shadows from the half-organized stacks of crates in front of them. Pistols held at the ready, Rex followed the General, knowing that Skywalker would be reaching out with the Force to anticipate any attack.

"Fives?" Skywalker called. "Fives, we're here."

Rex scanned the shadows, hating the queasy knot in his stomach that had kept coming back every night since he'd left Kamino. It was easy to imagine movement as the light from the lightsaber shifted along the walls. There was a ripple in the air, perhaps from the circulation system.

"Come on out," the General tried again. "We just wanna talk to you."

So Fives was here; Skywalker must sense it. They kept walking, Rex's eyes roving methodically over the half-invisible shapes looming out of the darkness. Their steps seemed loud in the silence.

"_General Skywalker._" A rough, low voice. Fives' voice, but it sounded wrong, husky, like Fives was short of breath or injured. Rex moved close behind the General and looked up. It sounded like the voice had come from above; it diffused, echoing through the building so that it was impossible to tell which direction it came from.

"_Thank you,_" said Fives. "_Thank you for trusting me_. _Now have you come without troops?_"

"We have," Skywalker said warily, shifting so that he and Rex could cover each other's backs. Rex kept his pistols up by his eyes, hoping he wouldn't have to use them.

"_Put down your weapons, then!_"

"I don't think so, Fives," said Skywalker.

"Please, _sir!_" Fives' desperate tone shifted to one of forced control. "_Please… I'm unarmed_."

For a moment, Rex was sure the General would refuse. From an objective standpoint, this looked an awful lot like a trap. But Skywalker turned off the saber, and Rex blinked against the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust. Of course, in a battle between an unarmed clone and an unarmed Jedi, there was no contest.

He felt Skywalker shift behind him. He could see the room more clearly now, and walked toward the nearest storage cube.

"Alright," Rex called. "I'm putting my pistols down."

He laid them on the cube and stepped back, raising his hands so that if Fives was watching, he would see that they were empty.

"What are we here for, Fives?" Skywalker asked the ceiling.

"_I need your help_."

"I know you do," Skywalker said, like a parent reminding a frantic child that he was listening. "We know you're not well. It's been rough for you these past couple days."

"_I'm not crazy!_" Fives cried, and Rex clenched his teeth against what he heard in his friend's voice. "_Please_… please, _just… just hear… what I have to say!_"

The voice shifted until it was coming from behind them. Rex and Skywalker turned and started toward the sound.

"We're here to help you, Fives; just come with us!" Skywalker coaxed. "Let us take you back to the Temple."

A blinding light flashed; a ray shield surrounded them.

"_No!_" The General rushed forward to slam his fist against it. Rex frowned up at the emitter; the shield must have been set up to contain volatile goods in the warehouse as needed. He wondered if Fives had planned this as the meeting place for precisely that reason. Fives was just that smart.

Something moved behind the crates, and Fives pulled himself around the corner, into view. His head was shaved bald; he was wearing armor, but not his own. Rex could only just make out his desperate expression from the light of the shield.

"I just… need you to listen to me. _Please!_"

"I'm not really sure we have any other choice!" Skywalker spat back, folding his arms.

Fives stepped closer, throwing his arms wide, fists clenched as his voice cracked and shook with emotion between his shallow panting. "I was _framed!_" It was nearly a sob. "Because I know the truth! The truth about a plot…" One hand clutched at his head. "A massive deception!"

Rex had already heard all this from Skywalker. They needed real details, and they needed them _now._ He stepped up next to Skywalker so Fives could see him. "By _whom?_"

"Well there's a sinister plot," Fives fumbled, "in the works, against the Jedi!" His voice didn't steady; if anything it was getting more erratic, and his hands jerked and grasped as he edged closer to them, barely seeming aware of his own movements. "I have proof of it!" he yelled, gasping. "I can _prove_ that everything I know is true beyond a _shadow of a doubt!_"

"Show me the_ evidence_," Skywalker demanded.

"The… evidence is…." Fives held his head with one hand, his voice faint with confusion. Rex didn't want to see this, this struggle to hang on to whatever scrap of sanity Fives had left while the virus turned his intelligence into the babblings of a lunatic. There was no point in watching him suffer like this, all for some scrap of information which was probably heavily twisted by Fives' mental state.

"In here," Fives blurted, pointing at his own head repeatedly. "It's, i-it's in here, it's in all of us! _Every _clone!"

Rex's breath caught. "What _is_ it?"

"Organic chips, built into our genetic code," Fives sighed in one low, exhausted breath. He knelt, resting his head against his arm, propped up on one of the crates. "To make us do whatever _someone_ wants…" His voice quaked. "Even kill the Jedi."

Rex's stomach lurched.

Fives stood and stepped toward the ray shield with a look of naked fear on his face. "It's… all in here!" he insisted, pointing at his own temple, pleading.

Skywalker glanced at Rex, his face still dark with anger. Rex rubbed the back of his neck, his skin prickling all over with horrified chills. Chips that could be used to control clones, like droids. It sounded crazy, especially when Fives choked it out like this. Rex was sure the technology existed, but that it could have been implanted at some point into hundreds of thousands of clones by the enemy was impossible to believe. Unless—

"Let's just get you some help first," the General said, reverting to his parental tone, but somehow it sounded less genuine. "Then we can review everything. It'll be okay, Fives, we'll sort this out."

Fives' face worked with uncertainty, then devastation. A strangled yell burst from him. "YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME!"

Rex reached out a hand toward the ray shield, keeping his voice level and calm. If he could just get Fives to stop panicking….

"Fives," he tried, "We _are_… listening to you. We only want to help."

"How do I know you're not tricking me?" Fives kept rubbing the back of his neck, acting dizzy or pained. He looked at Rex and Skywalker as if they had personally betrayed him. "How do I know… it won't be a trap?!" Fives was just on the other side of the ray shield now, staring Rex in the eyes with a tormented expression. "The Chancellor would try to kill me!" he snarled. "Now I _promise_ you that!"

"The _Chancellor?_" Skywalker leaned forward.

"He's _in on it!_" Fives started pacing, covering his eyes and then clenching his fists, hunched over. "I don't know to what extent, but I _know_ he orchestrated much of this!" He whirled back to face them. "He told me in the medical bay!"

"_He_ told you?" Skywalker asked, voice going hard. "When you tried to _assassinate_ him?! You have gone too far, Fives! The Chancellor isn't capable of what you claim!"

"He IS!" Fives threw up his hands. "I swear to you, General, you have no idea—!"

"Stand down, soldier! _Stand down!_"

All at once, at least half a dozen red-painted troopers rushed at them from the shadows, all their blasters pointed straight at Fives. Rex's blood went cold as Fives whirled to face them.

"_Get on your knees!_" Commander Fox roared.

"No!" Fives cried desperately, hands outstretched. "No no, _stay back!_" His head jerked to the left and Rex followed his gaze to where his pistols lay on the crate nearby.

"Don't do it!" Fox cried. "_Don't do it, soldier!_"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Fives screamed.

"Fives! NO!" Rex cried as Fives snatched up the pistol.

One blaster shot. Fives' breath left him roughly in one burst, but he kept gasping for it, choking on it. The pistol clattered to the ground at his feet.

"_Fives!_" Rex pressed close to the shield and saw Fives' knees buckle, saw him fall onto his side, the hole in his chest still smoldering. "FIVES!"

Rex pounded at the shield, not breathing either.

"Fives…."

"Get this ray shield off!" Skywalker commanded.

Another shot, and the shield was gone. Rex fell to his knees by Fives and rolled him onto his back—he was still breathing, shaking—Rex could feel it.

"Fives."

"Brother," Fives gasped between tearing breaths, eyes unfocused.

"_Call for help!_" Rex cried at Fox's team. "We need a medic!"

Fives' whole body heaved, struggling as he coughed and gulped at the air. "Rex…."

Rex stared at his face, twisted in pain. "Fives," he answered heavily, his whole body feeling weighed down and trapped as if by quicksand.

"This…" Fives struggled to keep his eyes on Rex. "It's… bigger than any of us… anything… I could have _imagined_…." Fives' head shook wildly with the effort of his breathing. He grabbed blindly at Rex's shoulder, his voice weak, full of grief. "I-I never meant… to…"

Rex reached for him, feeling as if his armor were crushing his chest. He put one hand behind Fives' head, the other under his arm, and pulled him up close so that their cheeks were nearly touching.

"I only wanted to do my duty," Fives breathed into his ear.

A shudder went through Rex starting from the knot in his gut, and he fought against the burning in his eyes, the icy burning that was sweeping over him like the bomb on Thisspias. For a split second, he thought in some detached corner of his mind about how just moments ago—this same night, he had stood up to his General and resolved to do his duty, even knowing what it would cost, even despite Skywalker's disapproval and even anger. He knew. He knew so well what Fives meant by those words.

Fives groaned and gasped in his ear, and Rex pulled back to watch him struggling against the pain, unable to breathe. "Brother," Rex pleaded. "Fives—" Fives' eyes were closing. "Stay with me, Fives!" He jerked Fives up gently. "Fives?"

"The mission…" Fives whispered, face quivering as the rest of his body was shaking in Rex's arms—Rex wondered if he was still shaking, too. "The nightmares… they're… finally…" Fives' face relaxed and his shaking began to subside. "Over…."

His head fell back and Rex thought for a moment he had just passed out. "Fives," he called quietly, shaking him. "No… Fives…." He shook him harder, the truth sinking in. "Come on Fives, stay with me, _stay with me!_" He couldn't control the way his mouth was shaking, curling, could barely speak around the pressure that was building in his throat. "Fives!" He cradled the man's head in both hands. "_Fives!_ Don't _go!_"

Fives was motionless, not a sign of life in his face, no pulse on his neck. He was gone.

"No," Rex breathed, his own voice strange and dull to his ears as he laid Fives' body down on the metal floor. "Oh no…."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. It took him a moment to summon the will to look up, away from Fives' face, and the hole in his armor. General Skywalker looked down at him sadly. Rex could find nothing to say. Silence thundered in his ears. After a moment, he let his eyes fall to Fives again.

It was over. Walking into this warehouse, Rex had told himself he was prepared to kill if by some chance it came to that, trusting that the Kaminoans would find the answer in both their bodies after death… he had half convinced himself that Fives was already gone.

But Fives hadn't been killed by the virus. He hadn't been scared because of what he didn't know. He was panicking because of something he already knew.

Fives' words clanged in his head. The Chancellor. How could the Chancellor be involved? Nothing about this made sense. His body, lying there, shot by one of his own brothers—everything was all wrong. Rex stared at Fives' face and put his hands over his eyes to block it out, gripping his own head against the realization that Fives would never be able to tell him anything more.

"A shame it had to turn out this way," one of Fox's men said.

Rex pushed himself to his feet, his eyes drawn back again, against his will. He looked for the pistol Fives had grabbed, and found it back in place with its twin on the crate. Skywalker must have put it there. He slid them into their holsters, imagining Fives' shaking hands gripping the handle.

"We'd better take his body to the hospital," Skywalker said solemnly, "so the doctors can do an autopsy. I don't want to lose any more of my men to this virus."

"We'll take care of that, sir," Commander Fox said. "I'll call for appropriate transport."

"Alright." Skywalker gripped Rex's shoulder tightly and turned him to face away from the body on the floor. "Let's go, Rex." His voice was soft but firm.

"Yes, sir," Rex said automatically.

He was no stranger to walking away from the bodies of men he knew. But all his steps felt heavy now, his mind ground to a futile halt, spinning in place and never going anywhere. Fives had been calling to him specifically, and it was as if his presence was still there, pulling at him. Never leave a brother behind. He shook himself, lengthened his stride so he kept pace with Skywalker, the sick despair subsiding into a mild dizziness.

He had done all he could to help Fives, he told himself. He had done his duty. There was nothing for it now but to accept the truth, whatever that truth might turn out to be.

…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

…

Anakin reached out with the Force, unable to see Rex's face from where he was sitting in the cockpit. He felt little ripples of nausea and anxious confusion amid the bleak aura of loss that hung around them both. It worried him. It felt too much like what he'd sensed from Fives.

"Everything alright up there, Rex?"

"Yes, sir," Rex said.

As he drove toward the hospital, he thought carefully about what to do next, just waiting for Rex to ask where they were going next, or what he thought of all that had just happened. But Rex was silent, and he remained silent all the way to the hospital. Anakin clenched the controls. He couldn't handle the thought of watching Rex lose his sanity to this virus like Fives and Tup, but for the first time since this all began, he felt a stab of fear. Rex was right—they were running out of time.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. As they got out and headed inside, Anakin noted how tired the Captain looked, but when Rex caught him in mid-glance, his eyes seemed as focused as ever.

Nala Se was waiting for them on the other side of the doors, her white oval face mildly surprised. "Master Skywalker. Were you unable to locate the defective clone?"

"We did locate Fives," Anakin said, nodding once to Shaak Ti as she entered the room from an adjacent hall. "Commander Fox and his men should be arriving with his body soon. _I'm_ here to ask that Captain Rex be kept under quarantine until a cure is found."

"Sir?" Rex started slightly as Anakin gripped his shoulder tight.

"Don't worry, Rex. I'm going to talk to the Jedi Council about everything right away. This way, if you are infected, you don't have to worry about spreading it to anyone else. We should have you out of here in no time."

"Weapons, please," a droid warbled, and Anakin watched, tense, half expecting Rex to outright refuse. But the Captain set his DC-17s into the shallow tray the droid held without hesitation.

"Thank you, Master Skywalker," Nala Se said. "We have already run tests on the body of the first infected clone, and are waiting for the results now. If, as I predict, the tests do come back positive for a viral infection, we may have a vaccine ready in a matter of hours."

"That's good to hear. Thank you for all your hard work."

"I will personally escort this clone to a secure room, immediately," Nala Se said, and put a hand between Rex's shoulder blades, but Rex stepped out of her reach and back toward Anakin.

"General," his voice was nearly a whisper. "You'll tell the Jedi Council _everything_ Fives said, won't you?"

Rex lifted his hand and brushed it against his own temple in a subtle gesture. The chips. Anakin glanced at Shaak Ti and Nala Se, wishing he could just tell Rex the truth—that they all knew about the inhibitor chips already—without fearing that Rex would react to the news as badly as Fives had.

Instead he just nodded. "I'm going to tell them everything we saw and heard here tonight."

Rex nodded back. "Good luck, sir."

Anakin waited until Rex and Nala Se had withdrawn, then turned to Shaak Ti and lowered his voice. "Master Shaak Ti. I need you to ask the hospital staff to keep a close eye on Captain Rex. While he might be infected, he also might not, and I don't want him getting any ideas. He was talking earlier about eliminating himself as a source of contagion."

"I shall pass on the message," Shaak Ti promised. "And meet you at the Temple to discuss these strange and mysterious events."

…

Rex felt he had barely slept at all by the time morning officially arrived. The room he was quarantined in did not have any windows; he only assumed it was morning because of how unbearably long the dark hours had dragged on in that confusing space between sleep and wakefulness… and because Shaak Ti said "Good morning, Captain," when she showed up in the doorway and turned on the light.

Nala Se was with her, holding a hypospray. Rex sat up, glad to be brought out of his own thoughts.

"Good morning, General." He got to his feet.

Once the two had entered the room, General Skywalker entered behind them.

"General Skywalker." Rex glanced at the hypospray. "Have the doctors figured out what was wrong with Tup?"

"They have." Skywalker looked relieved.

"There was an unfortunate oversight on my part," Nala Se murmured slowly. "However, working in cooperation with the other doctors here, and comparing the data from both bodies, we were able to isolate the cause. It was a rare parasite, native to Ringo Vinda."

"Then… everyone who was on that mission, and everyone they've been in contact with is still at risk," Rex realized.

"Not for much longer." Shaak Ti smiled. "Doctor Nala Se has prepared an inoculation which will be administered to every single trooper in the army, beginning with you."

"None of us will have to worry about this ever happening again," Skywalker said, grinning faintly.

"That's… very good news, sir," Rex said. He felt less relieved than he'd expected. Fives' last words had worn deep tracks in his mind for the last several hours, and now to think that Fives had been completely wrong about everything….

He tilted his head when Nala Se wordlessly approached him, allowing her to inject the cure. He tried to tell himself that it was over now; the chance that his dreams or Skywalker's dreams would become reality was being swept away as immunity to the parasite established itself in his body.

"Thank you, Doctor." Rex rubbed the mild stinging on his neck.

Skywalker shared a glance with Shaak Ti, and Shaak Ti gave him a tiny smile.

"You are free to return to the barracks now, Rex," she said, motioning to Nala Se. "The doctors and I must organize the effort to spread the cure to the rest of the troops."

"Of course, General." Rex bowed his head slightly in gratitude as she and Nala Se left.

Skywalker didn't follow them. Instead, he folded his arms and looked at Rex with concern. "It's been a long night. But at least now we can put this whole mess behind us and get back to ending this war."

"Yes, sir," Rex said, and when Skywalker continued to stare at him he went on. "I apologize for my actions earlier. What I said to you on the platform was out of line."

"There was a lot at stake," Skywalker said dismissively. "I'm just glad everyone's safe from this parasite now."

Rex said nothing to that.

"You're not still worried about what you saw in your dreams, are you?" Skywalker asked. "If we were both having visions of the same future… I have a feeling we just averted it by finding a cure. There's not going to be any more clones turning against each other or against the Jedi… not unless they choose to on their own… and _you're_ not going to do that, right?"

"Of course not. It's… not just that, sir," Rex said. "I keep thinking… about what Fives said… about there being chips in all of us, every clone, that someone could use to control us. If we were all implanted with chips capable of controlling our behavior, that would be a terrible weakness for the enemy to exploit. The consequences for overlooking something like that are barely imaginable."

Skywalker looked uncomfortable and Rex wondered for a moment if he'd made a mistake in bringing up his concerns. But the General sighed. "Rex… the truth is, every clone does_ have_ a chip, but it's not for the reason Fives thought. They're inhibitor chips, designed to_ prevent_ hostile behavior toward allies, and Tup's was broken. Fives' too… the parasite managed to break it down somehow."

"Inhibitor chips?" Rex paused, considering. "General… why didn't any of us know about this before?"

Skywalker frowned self-consciously. "Look, I would have told you, but with everything happening so quickly, there didn't seem to be a good time."

"Sir." Rex chose his words carefully. "If Fives had this parasite the whole time, isn't it possible his chip was degrading gradually, until it reached a certain point where the damage made him act the way he did? Mine could be going the same way. Even though we've gotten rid of the parasite, there could still be some damage to the chip."

Skywalker shook his head. "I already asked Nala Se about that. Because of the clean tests they got from Fives before he left Kamino, she's pretty confident that the parasite works quickly once it develops to a certain stage. It destroyed Fives' chip in a matter of minutes. She assured me that if you haven't shown any signs of hostility yet, we don't have anything to worry about."

"Yes, sir," he said, because no other response was neutral enough. Something still felt off, but Rex couldn't be certain it wasn't his own exhaustion talking.

"Maybe now that the crisis is over," Skywalker was saying, as they left the room, "you should go get a few hours of real sleep in the barracks. Come on, I'll give you a ride."

"I appreciate that, sir," Rex said, but made no immediate move to follow the General. "Did... you talk to the Council about what happened? What Fives said?" He knew he was out of line to ask, but he wanted to make sure they had the complete report of the incident.

"I did," Skywalker said. He glanced at Rex. "...And then I was dismissed. They didn't discuss it in front of me."

Rex took a deep breath. "And my dreams?"

The General looked away. "I didn't mention them. Like I said, now that the parasite is gone, so is the threat. You were having them because you were infected. That's what you said, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir," Rex said again, feeling less relieved now that this could be put behind them than he expected. Skywalker turned back toward the exit, and as soon as Rex fell into step behind him, he knew he would find it difficult to rest even in the barracks. It was true the nightmares had been more vivid since Ringo Vinda, but he had been having them in some form or another long before that mission.

He shook himself mentally as they stepped out of the hospital into the morning sun. He really wasn't going to get any sleep if he kept dwelling on this. Once they'd settled into the speeder, he turned to Skywalker.

"When's our next mission, General?"

"Actually, we're going to the edge of the Outer Rim, so if any of the major assault teams need reinforcements, we'll be close. We leave in a few days."

"I'll have my men ready. It'll be good to get back in the fight."

…

Anakin turned away from the starpocked depths of space and back toward the too-quiet bridge of the Venator-class Destroyer. The battle currently underway on Ryloth played in his mind as Rex came through the door, helmet tucked under one arm.

Without preamble, Anakin pulled up the holographic link to General Aayla Secura's ship.

"We're all here now, Master Secura," Anakin said. "Please proceed with the briefing."

"The situation on Ryloth is getting out of hand," Secura's hologram said. "We have managed to drive the Separatists out of three major cities, but there are many wounded: both our own troops and civilians. No supply ships have managed to get through the battle above—all our ships are busy preventing the Separatists from making any attacks on the surface, and cannot provide additional cover for the medical frigates. We need a way to take the worst casualties to the only secure and well-equipped hospital under our control. I'm asking you to transport these wounded from the outlying cities to the capital."

"I'll need a detailed map of the area before we can start making a strategy."

Secura nodded and tapped on an invisible console. "I'm sending it to you now. It would be safest for the casualties if you could commandeer one of the Separatist carriers, but if that is not possible, I can think of a few alternatives. There are many tunnels which run underneath the capital, and at least one which lets out at the point I have marked, just behind the battle zone."

Anakin leaned back from the holographic map, turning it and taking in all the angles and points noted.

"This way, you would only be required to break through one line of enemy defenses, and would be clear of heavy fire from the ground for the greater part of your flight. But, the separatists might catch on to this plan, and find a way to trap you in the tunnels. There is also the risk of cave-in simply from the bombardment of the tanks, especially at _this_ point just outside the city walls."

"So it could be just as dangerous as flying over their heavy artillery," Anakin said wryly. "And the third option?"

"Send a decoy first. Let the Separatists deal with it while the prisoners are transported in another ship."

"Or," Anakin said confidently, "we join the fight directly, help you win, and the risk to the wounded in transport disappears. I could join the battle up here, and send carriers to drop ground troops where they can come up behind the enemy and surprise them."

Secura frowned. "I don't think you understand the severity of this engagement, General Skywalker. The only reason I believe _you _will make it past the Separatist fleet is because of your reputation as a pilot. If you sent ground troops in separate ships, they would never reach the surface."

Anakin was tempted to make a jab at Secura for doubting his pilots, but he knew better; the situation called for serious consideration.

"Alright, then we make a compromise." Anakin studied the highlighted routes on the map. "I'll land in Joreikna first, and hopefully knock out a good percentage of the cannons on this side in the process. Once we have the casualties on board, I'll send my pilots to clear the way back to the capital with an airstrike so I can continue with this ship. I doubt the droid carriers have as much space for loading casualties as this ship does."

"You would have to clear a very _wide_ path, Skywalker," Secura said doubtfully. "Your ship makes a large and tempting target, which is why I suggested using smaller ships once you land."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to use our own troop carriers."

Secura did not seem impressed by his confidence. "Remember, once you are on the ground, your communications will be monitored until we can take out the array at their base. Be careful. Contact me again once you've landed. If your ship is still in one piece, maybe your plan will work, but I think you would do well to consider my suggestions."

"If commandeering a droid carrier or two is necessary, we'll get it done, even if we have to charge the front lines. Rex and I have dealt with missions like this plenty of times, right Captain?"

Rex's eyes jerked up from the map. "Y… yes sir."

"Your Captain doesn't seem as confident as you are."

Anakin gave Rex a significant look. "Of course he is, Master Secura. I bet he already has a strategy or two of his own in mind. Tell her, Rex."

Rex straightened; his eyes went over the map a bit too quickly. "We have a few options," he said haltingly, his brow furrowed. "But… it might be easier to tell which is the most effective once we're on the ground."

Anakin stared at Rex; that answer felt off. The Captain didn't seem to realize he was redundantly stating the same thing Secura had suggested.

"Just get past those ships," said Secura. "I must return to the fight. May the Force be with you."

The hologram blinked out. Anakin looked over the table at Rex, who stared back at him with an almost guilty expression.

"Are you ready for this mission, Rex?" Anakin asked seriously.

"Of course, General," Rex said. "I have confidence that you will choose the best method for delivering the casualties."

"You just seem a little… distracted." Anakin came around the table toward him. "You're not sick or something, are you?"

"My health is fine, sir," Rex said. "I apologize for not giving the briefing my full attention. It won't happen again."

"It better not," Anakin said sternly. "This can't become a trend. I know things in the 501st haven't been easy lately, but we're in the middle of a war, and I need to be able to count on you and your men. If there's something on your mind, or if there's a reason you're not focusing, maybe you better tell me now. Otherwise, I expect you to forget it and get your head back in the mission."

"Understood!" Rex kept steady eye contact. "It's nothing, sir. A personal matter."

Anakin let his voice and face soften a bit. "It's Fives, isn't it?"

Rex gave a short, almost frustrated sigh. "No, sir."

Anakin raised an eyebrow skeptically. "If you say so. Did you hear everything Master Secura said?"

"Our mission is to break through to the surface, and transport casualties from the two outlying cities to the capital."

"And how did each of us propose to do that?"

"General Secura… mentioned enemy carriers, and tunnels." Rex's face was rigid. "But you proposed to use this ship."

"And that's all you remember?"

Rex averted his eyes. "That's... about the extent of it, sir. I have no excuse, but as I promised, it _won't_ happen again."

Anakin folded his arms, mentally debating whether to push the issue or trust Rex's word. He'd always been able to trust it before, but then… Rex had never made this kind of mistake before in the first place.

"Alright. Let's get back to the mission, then. I'll fill you in during our approach."

"Thank you, sir."

…

After a wild ride through the thick firefight just outside Ryloth's atmosphere, Rex and his men stood inside the city at last. It was tucked between two small cliffs, and troops from the 327th had created a barricade on its open side, using felled droid carriers, tanks, and even the pieces of destroyed buildings on the city's edge.

It got quieter the further toward the center they walked. The Twi'lek citizens kept indoors mostly, sometimes peering out from behind scorched curtains or cracked shutters. Here and there, faceless suits of armor lay dead on the edges of the streets. Rex kept his eyes on Skywalker's back, determined not to let his focus slip again.

"There it is." Skywalker pointed at a long, low rectangular structure of the same sandy color as all the rest. One corner of the roof and a wall had caved in and was covered with a tarp that snapped in the wind.

Inside, it was dim and much cooler than out, but the particular smell of wounded bodies in close quarters was still strong. Most of the troopers had been relieved of their armor.

"Kix." Rex gestured toward the yellow-painted medic moving among the casualties.

Kix nodded and hurried over to offer his help to the other medic, while General Skywalker led Rex toward a Twi'lek who was winding bandages around a civilian's lekku. Rex picked his way carefully, and as a gust of warm air came from the open doorway, it kicked up a whorl of sand and ruffled the edge of the rough brown blanket covering one patient by his feet.

Something about the movement of that corner of cloth, the way the bodies lay thick on the ground beneath him in the dimness—Rex took a deep breath and tried not to think about the nightmares. They had not quit after the parasite had been neutralized; in fact, they had not let up at all.

His hands rested against the handles of his DC-17s and he again remembered Fives mentioning nightmares on his dying breath. He had assumed Fives had been having them as a result of the parasite, just as Rex thought his had been strengthened... but his dreams' current persistence despite being cured made him wonder. What if Fives had been having nightmares for years, just as he had been?

"Are you the doctor in charge here?" Skywalker's voice jarred Rex free of his thoughts, and he saw the General kneel beside the Twi'lek who tended the others.

"Yes," she said, only glancing up once from her work—her patient was grunting in pain as she tightened the bandages. "And you are here to take my patients to the capitol. We were told you were coming. I moved the most severely injured patients onto stretchers near the door. _Please _make sure your men are careful while moving them. Bit and I have done what we can, but their condition is barely stable."

Skywalker nodded gravely and turned around, voice raised. "You heard the doctor! The patients by the door are our first priority. At least two men to a stretcher; I want to give these people as smooth a ride as possible, starting with the trip to the carriers."

"Yes, sir!" the men called out.

As Rex moved back to the door and crouched by one of many unconscious clones, Jesse crouched on the other end of the stretcher.

"Count of three," Rex said. "Nice and easy. One… two…."

They lifted smoothly together. Rex backed out into the street and waited for Jesse to swing gradually around so they could go sideways. The General came out after half a dozen more pairs and kept a close watch on their surroundings as they shuffled slowly back toward the ship.

As Rex kept his eyes down, watching for imperfections in the road, his mind wandered again. Fox should have stunned Fives. Killing him meant never learning what more he meant to say… and some terrible, traitorous part of Rex's mind wondered if that was the point. Fives had known something, and been silenced accordingly.

"Think we'll all make it past those cannons?" Jesse asked.

Rex looked up, but of course no expression was visible on Jesse's helmet. "With the General drawing their fire in the Destroyer? Yeah. Besides, General Secura and Commander Bly will be using this opportunity to disable the ones outside the airstrike zone."

Jesse laughed under his breath. "Just another great last-minute plan by General Skywalker."

"Sorry boys," Skywalker laughed, walking easily beside them. "I get all the fun parts in this plan. Looks like you're just here for the heavy lifting."

"That's fine with me, General," Jesse said, looking down at the heavily bruised trooper they were carrying. "Looks like these guys had it pretty rough out there."

"We might still join the fight once the wounded are safe," Skywalker smirked. "I have a feeling this battle will have to tip one way or the other before we're done."

They went carefully up the ramp into the Destroyer's hangar, their footsteps echoing on the metal floor. For a moment, the relative dimness of the interior and the blazing light of Skywalker's saber brought Rex back to the warehouse. Fives' last words again played in his mind. _The mission. The nightmares._ And what he'd said to Tup during their retreat at Ringo Vinda. _What mission?_

The stretcher jerked in his hands and the clone lying on it grunted.

"Uh, Captain?" said Jesse quietly. "The carrier's over there."

Rex glanced over at Skywalker, hoping he hadn't noticed, but the General was looking right at him.

"Did you see something?" asked Jesse, turning his head to sweep the hangar's interior.

"Just shadows," said Rex, and stepped toward the nearest carrier. "Come on."

He was glad no one could look him in the eye. And more than any other time he could remember, he hoped they wouldn't be doing much fighting today. Slip-ups like this were a death sentence on the battlefield, not only to him, but to his men as well. And judging by how they'd only made a dent in the casualties this first run, none of them could afford to let their attention slide for even a second.

…

Night was falling on Ryloth as Rex stepped out of the hospital in Lessu. He found General Skywalker a stone's throw from where General Secura was speaking with Commander Bly.

"Looks like that's the last of them, sir," Rex said. "We did lose one or two in transit this time, but their injuries were pretty severe."

"We've done good work today, Rex," Skywalker said, not lacking an ounce of his usual energy. "Ready for phase two?"

"What's the plan, General?"

"We're going to split up our men into nine teams. Pick out eight other team leaders and meet me back on the bridge as soon as everyone's ready."

"Right away, sir!"

It didn't take long for Rex to choose. Soon, all eight of them stood with him, facing General Skywalker across the hologram projector on the bridge of the Destroyer.

"Jesse will lead team two," Rex said, indicating each clone as he named them. "The seven other teams will be led by Singer, Index, Rabbit, Dash Dot, Appo, Bow, and Brick."

Skywalker looked over them all, noting the little variations that set them apart as Rex pointed. Singer, wearing his usual contemplative expression, had never abandoned the basic style each clone cadet started with, but he did have his name tattooed in small letters beneath his left eye. Index was easy to spot by his alert posture and thin lines shaved into his hair, while Rabbit was bald with a swirl pattern tattooed on his head. Dash Dot's helmet had a series of dashes and dots around the back. Appo, Brick, and Bow were also wearing their helmets, Appo with his characteristic white arrow, and Brick with the solid rectangle of blue on one side of his helmet which paralleled the block of text tattooed underneath.

"Alright. Captain Rex believes you're the best men available to lead these teams. So here's the plan." Skywalker pulled up a section of the map General Secura had given them. "This base is General Secura's next target. It has extensive defensive missile systems, designed to shoot down any ship that tries to get too close. It's also shielded. If ground troops can get close enough, the shield isn't a problem, but we know there are tanks and plenty of battle droids stationed around the perimeter to prevent that. We're going to draw out the ground forces so General Secura's troops can take over the base."

Skywalker pulled the view out a bit. The base sat inside a wider section of a gorge which split into narrow, criss-crossing ravines before finally ending in a wash of dunes.

"I'm going to fly the Destroyer over the base, let them think they've damaged it so that I'm forced to land just outside the range of their missiles. But the Destroyer has a wider firing range than they do. The ship will continue attacking the base from that position, trying to wear down their shields, while the rest of you take your positions in the gorge. Timing is everything, here. Each team will attack in a stage to push the enemy forces where we want them, or draw them out in pursuit. We have to funnel them down _this _ravine."

"General, sir," Index said, "if we herd them into that place, they might hold some troops in reserve, come up behind. Then we'll be caught in our own trap."

Skywalker smirked. "What did I just say, Index? Timing. We're going to hold off on fully engaging the enemy until we've split off a good number of their battle droids. The tanks don't have much of a choice of where to go; they can't cut us off because the back entrance to this passage is too narrow." He traced the ravine he'd marked before with one finger. "Our attacks will be coordinated so that we thin their numbers, and don't reveal our own until we have them where we want. I've already worked out exactly how this should go, alright? As long as each team is at their assigned spot at the right time, and everyone attacks in the right sequence, we'll have ourselves a quick and easy path to victory."

"I don't doubt it, sir," Appo said. "But with comm. channels being monitored, it will be impossible to collaborate further once we're out on the field."

"I was just about to say the same thing," Skywalker said. "You'll all have to remember every other team's position so that you can attack at the right time. So here are your individual assignments. Singer, you'll be stationed closest to the base on the north side of the gorge. You'll be the first to attack. Hide most of your men in these pockets, and take a few to the entrance of this section to fire on the droids and lure them in. Try to pull as much of their attention as you can."

Singer nodded once, slowly, with a smile and half-shut eyes. "We'll give them a worthy fight, sir. On our honor."

"Dash Dot, you'll be waiting deeper in the ravine, to the east of Singer's position. You have to guard the parallel passage and keep any of the droids lured by Singer from getting away. Be prepared for a fight on both sides, but don't attack until you're approached, or until Singer's troops need a diversion."

"Understood."

"Rabbit, you'll be just ahead of Singer on the south side, right at this junction here. The terrain is pretty rough there, but I hear that's no problem for you."

"No problem at all, sir," Rabbit drawled.

"Heh," said Brick. "We don't call him Rabbit for nothing, General."

"Just as long as you keep an eye out for your men too," Skywalker said. "You'll attack next. The enemy could easily loop around behind you against the cliff, so I'll have Jesse stationed here at the southernmost passage to prevent that and to help pen the droids in once you've led them there."

"It'll take a while for those clankers to get over the rocks," Rabbit observed. "But eh… we'll keep 'em interested."

Skywalker nodded. "Rex, you'll be here, just northeast of Rabbit and Jesse's ambush, and across the central passage of the gorge from Index." Skywalker pointed at another opening into the interconnecting passages where Jesse and Rabbit would be luring droids. Rex's position was behind one of many large rock formations scattered throughout the gorge. The rock angled toward Index's position, making a bottleneck in the central passage. "This is the choke point—we don't want to let the main part of their forces through if we can help it. Index's passage is the only other one wide enough for tanks. From your position, you'll push their forces to pursue Index and his men into the trap we've set here."

"Yes sir."

"Do _not_ let them past that point if you can help it." The General said. "Index will be occupied drawing them back, so I'm counting on you to keep them from advancing in the wrong direction. Appo and Bow will be stationed here—" Skywalker pointed at two parallel points even further east on the main passage, "and they'll be the last line of defense against any tanks that make it through, but they need to be able to join the fight in the northern passage when the time comes for all our forces to converge on that point. Brick, you're here." Skywalker indicated a narrow exit to the northeast of Index's position. "You just keep any droids from getting out that way."

"They won't get past us, sir. You can count on that." Brick smirked, patting the rifle resting against his shoulder.

"Any questions so far?"

Rex took a steady breath and stared at the map, memorizing the attack positions, while Index asked about back up plans and Appo got clarification on which route to take to join the final stage of the battle. The plan seemed simple enough. Push the enemy in one direction, and don't let them break through to the ship.

"Alright," Skywalker said at last. "Get some rest. We move out in six hours."

…

It was quiet in the gorge, and hot even in the shade. The long, stealthy walk to their various positions was followed by hours of waiting as the sun rose higher. All this time gave Rex's mind too much freedom to wander as he sat against the rock wall. It was a relief when the first sounds of battle drifted to them on the dry desert wind.

A trooper with three hollow dots on both sides of his helmet came loping quietly into the shade where they waited. Rex stood up.

"How close are they, AT?"

Afterthought—whose full nickname was too cumbersome at three syllables—came to attention. "Sir. Rabbit and his men are falling back into the gulch. I count at least two hundred droids in pursuit. The front lines are continuing to advance and should cross into visual range in the next ten or fifteen minutes."

"Good." Rex turned and motioned to those he could see to get to their feet. "Alert the rest of the team. It's about to get a lot hotter down here."

"Yes, sir!"

AT jogged ahead while Rex followed behind to pick up any stragglers who might have missed the command from where they were holed up in crannies in the wall. Staying out of sight made good sense the closer they were to Jesse's position—their orders were clear, to stay out of Jesse and Rabbits' fight unless things went desperately wrong.

Soon they were all huddled densely under the eastern tip of the long, thin rock wall that shielded them from the main part of the gorge.

Rex peered carefully around the edge. The sun glinted blindingly off the first lines of marching battle droids. Above the clankers, the barrel of a tank's gun swiveled slightly.

"Here they come," he said quietly to the men closest, holding up a hand. "Now we wait until Index fires. Twist, Steel, got those charges ready?"

A trooper lifted both hands to show the grenades he held. "Ready, Captain."

"Can't wait to take out some tactical droids," Steel added, waving one of his own charges. "Those things give me the creeps."

"Steady," said Rex.

The droid army came close enough that above the distant blaster fire and the rumble of the cannons, Rex could hear the telltale clank echoing against the walls of the gorge. But Index didn't fire. Rex peeked around the corner again, just enough to catch sight of the butte the other team's attack should have come from.

"Why aren't they firing?" Afterthought hissed.

Rex had no answer. "Come on, Index," he breathed.

The front line of droids inched closer.

It passed the opening in the opposite cliff face.

"Something must have gone wrong," Rex said, thinking fast. "But the General gave us orders not to let the enemy past this point. Get ready to charge the front lines!"

Afterthought ran to pass the message to those in the back, and everyone rushed forward so they were within sight of Rex.

Rex stepped up on a rock and raised an arm. "Ready, men?"

Helmets lifted toward him

"LET'S GO! GO, GO, GO!"

As one they rushed out into the open gorge, charged headlong into the mass of droids, and knocked half their targets down by bodily impact alone. Someone went down to Rex's left and he hoped it wasn't Twist—the nearest tank was too close to hit them but the one behind it was turning their way.

In between knocking rifles from droid hands, blasting droid heads and stomping droid chests, Rex saw Steel climbing the tank. He took a quick shot at the tactical droid to distract it—a metal arm swung at him and he ducked.

The second tank fired and the blast knocked Rex off his feet. As he scrambled up and backward, he saw Index's men pouring from the opposite side of the gorge, yelling at the top of their lungs. The tank was getting ready to fire again, aiming straight for the thickest part of Rex's team. The droids were crammed together, blaster fire coming so thick Rex had to crawl behind a rock.

"Get out of range!" He yelled, and the men nearest took up the cry, echoing it through the chaos of the battle.

Another rumbling blast and Rex feared the worst, but then he saw his men moving for cover further east. He jumped up and ran sideways to join them, all his attention bent on mowing down as many clankers as he could hit.

Nearly a dozen went down before Rex dived and rolled behind a spur of rock on the north. He turned around and reassessed the battlefield. Steel had disabled the nearest tank, but the second one was coming in steadily.

"Keep those droid poppers coming!" he commanded. The troopers he'd fallen in with lobbed their grenades into the advancing horde of droids, and Rex led another charge back out into the open. "CLOSE RANKS! DRIVE THEM BACK!"

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. The tanks would have been easy pickings if the droids were diverted by fighting Index's team. Now everything was a mess, and as hard as Rex and his men tried to press forward, the clankers just kept marching on.

They fell back again, heading for the nearest opening in the north side of the gorge. The second tank had stopped now but a third was closing in. A blur of blue light flew down from the top of the gorge and General Skywalker was on the tank, slicing its weapons, cutting its treads.

"FORWARD!" Skywalker's voice boomed out, and Rex and his men surged out to obey.

As Skywalker jumped through the battlefield, picking off tactical droids and disabling the heavy weaponry, Rex and his men advanced with new confidence. The enemy forces were splitting off to the north, following Index as they were meant to. Rex stepped over Steel's body as he and his men moved past the second disabled tank.

Suddenly, Skywalker was in front of Rex, deflecting blaster fire and yelling above the noise.

"What happened?! Why did you attack early?"

"Index must not have been in position, sir!" Rex called back, shooting nonstop from his spot just behind the General. "I couldn't let the enemy pass!"

"No, _you_ weren't in position! You were too far west! Take a look around, Rex! You were supposed to be stationed at the narrowest part of this section!"

Rex shifted so his back was to Skywalker's, and looked to the east. The rock formation they'd been stationed behind had seemed right, but now, looking straight down the gorge, he saw how the passage narrowed further in, a second, larger wall running parallel to and behind the nearer one, diagonally jutting into the path.

"Sir, I…" Rex stared down the gorge, his breath catching as an icy feeling crept into his stomach. "I should have sent a scout to double check our position."

"That's right!" Skywalker yelled. "You should have! We'll talk later. For now, just focus on the fight!"

"Yes sir!" Rex pivoted with a numb sense of determination, and turned his full attention back to the battle.

…

Three days later, Rex sat on his bunk in the Destroyer, wondering whether avoiding sleep might actually help his concentration. He wished he were back on Coruscant already, clearing his mind at the shooting range. They would be back soon enough, but at the moment they were currently docked at a space station, giving the ship a refuel and some much-needed repair after the ordeal Skywalker had put it through. After they destroyed the army in the gorge, General Secura had managed to drive the rest of the Separatist forces off with the help of General Mundi and the Galactic Marines. It had been a swift victory once the ships above had been destroyed, cutting the droid army off from receiving any fresh troops.

Rex looked over to where Kix was sleeping. He could probably give him something to help him sleep more deeply. Maybe that would help.

The door opened and Rex jumped to his feet a moment later to stand at silent attention.

General Skywalker was holding a trooper's helmet and motioned for Rex to follow him outside. Rex looked at it, confused—the casualty report for this mission had already been filed. For half a moment his mind jumped to the worst possibility, but the helmet had blue markings, not gold. It belonged to someone in the 501st.

He followed Skywalker into the hall, and in the brighter light he saw the familiar symbol, meant to resemble a Rishi eel.

"Where did you get that, sir," he asked quietly.

"I asked a friend to bring it to me from Kamino." Skywalker said, his voice also low. "I figured it was worth a shot. I thought they would have recycled it already, but… guess it hasn't really been that long."

Rex wondered what use the General could possibly have for a dead soldier's helmet. But then Skywalker held the helmet out toward him.

"Anyway," he said. "I thought you might want to have it."

Rex reached for it automatically, and caught himself. He shook his head and kept his fists at his sides. "Why would I want this, sir? What would I do with it?"

Skywalker leaned toward him, nearly whispering. "I_ know_ Fives wasn't just any soldier to you. He was your friend. A good friend. It's natural to want something to remember him by."

Rex blew out a breath and looked away. "Sir, I…."

"Take it, Rex." Skywalker commanded, shoving the helmet at him. "I know that despite everything people say, some clones form attachments just like some Jedi do. It's only human. And sometimes the only way to move on is to acknowledge your feelings. Once you've acknowledged them, sometimes… they're easier to control."

Rex took the helmet reluctantly, staring into Fives' second face. The same heavy feeling from the warehouse fell on him, that exhaustion he had first felt on Umbara.

"That may be true, sir," he said wearily. "And… I appreciate what you've done. But the fact remains that I can't keep personal items from friends I've lost on the battlefield. There would be too many." Rex closed his eyes briefly. "No… it's better just to move on, and accept the fact that we all die, eventually. It's what we're made to do. Fives was no different. And neither am I. It would be wrong to act otherwise."

The General gave a frustrated huff. "Well, _I'm_ not ready to have you get killed just yet. You're not made to die. You're _made_ to fight. But Rex, you're becoming a liability on the battlefield. I'm ordering you to take some time off when we get back to Coruscant. Take some time to sort out your feelings."

"What? General!" Rex protested. "I realize I haven't been performing to the usual standard, but—!"

Skywalker held up a hand to cut him off. "This isn't up for discussion. You obviously need time to recover from what happened with Fives."

"Nothing happened to _me._" Rex argued. "I'm not sick, General. I'm not injured."

"Maybe," Skywalker said doubtfully. "But you're not going to be any good as Captain until you figure this out. So you're taking some time off. Just a few days, alright?"

Rex gripped the helmet, angry and ashamed of himself. "Yes, sir." He held it back out toward the General. "This should be recycled. There's another trooper out there who needs it more than I do."

Skywalker frowned uncomfortably and folded his arms. "That's yours now," he muttered. "You can do what you want with it."

With that, he turned and walked away. Rex watched him go before sighing deeply and returning to his bunk. Surrounded by the quiet breathing of his comrades, he sat and stared at Fives' helmet, Fives' shaky voice repeating in his mind. _I only wanted to do my duty._

Dwelling on questions of conspiracy and betrayal had gotten Fives killed. It could very well do the same to him. But he had a duty, didn't he, to find out the truth, and follow it out to its conclusion. Rex didn't see signs of his own exhaustion and nightmares in any of the other men, but then, he wasn't at his most observant lately. They all tossed and turned or woke suddenly at times; they all had bad dreams, but they were combat dreams, hardly worth commenting on.

That was exactly what he'd always called his nightmares. Combat dreams. Maybe he wasn't the only one using such euphemism. _The nightmares, the mission… kill Jedi_. He didn't want it to be true. He didn't _want_ Fives to be right. As much as it felt wrong to prefer believing Fives had simply been going crazy, the alternative was so much worse.

Rest wasn't going to do Rex any good. Somehow, he knew, only the truth would stop the nightmares and let his memory of Fives rest in peace.

…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

…

Kix and Jesse came into Seventy-Nines much later than Rex expected. He sat up a little straighter to watch them from his table in the corner.

Jesse went up to the counter first, making friendly gestures to the bartender; Rex couldn't hear what he was saying over the music. Kix leaned on the counter with a faraway expression. They shifted to one of their favorite spots near the end; the bartender brought their drinks in tall white mugs followed by two small shots glasses. Jesse downed both shots in quick succession, then cupped his hand around the tall mug. Kix half-closed his eyes as if he already had a hangover. Jesse put a hand on Kix's shoulder and the medic shrugged it off.

Rex watched them until they emptied their mugs, Kix more slowly than Jesse but no less persistent. Rex stood and slipped around the edge of a very loud and enthusiastic game of sabacc. He came up behind Jesse and Kix and announced his presence half a moment before putting one arm around each man's shoulders.

"Kix. Jesse. Just the men I wanted to see. You two have some explaining to do."

"Captain?" Kix only managed not to spill his ale because it was mostly gone. He gave a short, nervous laugh. "About what?"

"Sorry we didn't invite you to come to the bar with us, sir," Jesse said, grinning a little as the bartender handed him another drink. "We didn't think to stop at the barracks first."

"Get this man another round," Rex said to the bartender, indicating Kix. "Netra'gal for me." He turned back toward the other two and put on a more serious face. It wasn't hard. "The _General_ wants me to look into exactly what was going on with you two the night Fives was killed."

Kix and Jesse dropped their smiles and exchanged a quick, nervous glance.

"Well, sir… you see," Jesse began awkwardly. "_We_ were already drunk when—"

"No, no, come on," Kix said softly, patting Jesse on the shoulder to stop him. "It's alright, Jesse… we may as well confess. They both already know I let Fives go."

Jesse grimaced sheepishly. "Right."

"Confess what?" Rex demanded. "Where exactly _were_ you when you last saw Fives?"

"Right here, actually," Kix sighed. "Well, the 'fresher. He came in there after me."

"So you both came here to look for him, and decided that could wait while you had a few drinks?" Rex gave them a pointed look.

"We…" Kix grimaced. "Uh… we sort of… planned to get drunk, sir."

"Already drunk when the call came in," Jesse said in an undertone, brow furrowed guiltily. "That was going to be our excuse."

"Funny, how that worked out," Kix said faintly. "If we hadn't been here, maybe he wouldn't have found a way to contact you and the General. And then the doctors might not have figured out the cure for that parasite."

"I see." Rex paused, studying their guilty faces. Jesse seemed particularly uncomfortable, while Kix stared back at him steadily, then picked up his drink

"Why don't you just tell us what our punishment's gonna be, Rex?" Kix asked after he'd drained the last of it. "We made our choice, and now we'll suffer the consequences."

"You mind explaining what possessed you to disobey orders like this?" Rex leaned closer to them, speaking low. "Kix, you saw what happened to Tup. You saw what he did, and you must have known that failing to capture Fives could mean more unnecessary deaths. Even Jedi."

"Yes sir. Of _course_ I knew that," Kix nearly whispered. "But I'm the team medic, and all I can say is… Fives may not have been acting exactly like himself when he met me here, but he _seemed_ lucid. He had a plan! That's not like what we saw with Tup. I…." Kix sighed and looked at the bar counter. "I really thought he might know something we didn't. Until we heard about that parasite, anyway."

Rex accepted his drink from the bartender and took a few sips to excuse himself from replying for a minute. Jesse was watching him uneasily, so Rex turned to him next.

"And you, Jesse?" Rex growled softly. "What was your motive for planning to _lie_ about where you were?"

Jesse hid behind his mug for a second, took a gulp, then a deep breath and straightened a bit. "I am sorry, Captain. I guess… I just didn't want to see a good soldier like Fives in a condition like that. I couldn't stand the thought of hunting him down. Maybe… maybe that makes me a coward." Jesse hunched his shoulders a little.

Rex didn't say anything immediately, hoping Jesse would say more. For a moment he was reminded of the awful truth that if one of them had stunned Fives first, maybe Fox wouldn't have killed him.

"Somebody had to be the one to capture him." Rex prompted with a sigh. "I don't think any of us wanted to do it, but we had our _orders_. You know that."

"Yeah. I know," Jesse said quietly with an edge in his voice. "I've had my share of difficult orders. I was there on Umbara. I was there standing right next to Fives waiting for my own brothers to shoot me because Krell gave an _order!_ I know _all about_ how important it is to follow orders no matter what."

Rex hadn't heard Jesse use such a tone since the actual events of Umbara. It didn't soothe his anxious conscience to be reminded of where he'd stood during that firing squad.

"That was different, Jesse." Kix frowned at his friend. "Krell was a traitor. We were ordered to find Fives because he tried to kill the Chancellor."

"I-I know! I know," Jesse fumbled, shifting to hold his drink with both hands. "I just…." He blew out a slow breath. "Fighting against my own brothers… I never thought I'd have to face that again. I _know _he tried to kill the Chancellor, but… it wasn't his fault!" Jesse slammed a fist on the counter suddenly, teeth clenched. "He shouldn't have died like that! He deserved better!"

Kix put a hand on Jesse's fist sadly, and Jesse unclenched it to put his head in his hands.

"He was a good soldier," Jesse groaned. "He shouldn't have died like that. If I _ever_ find out who did this to him, I swear I'll—"

"Jesse," Rex said warningly. "_No_ one did this to Fives. It was a parasite, remember?"

"_Who _gave the order to kill him?" Jesse continued obliviously. "I mean… why? Isn't _he _at least worth more than that? He was one of the best! And they could have saved him! They knew he was sick, they knew it wasn't his fault! But they just don't care, do they? It's just easier to—"

"Jesse!" Kix hissed, glancing around to make sure his outburst had gone mostly unheard. "What are you saying? They shot him for the same reason Captain Rex ordered us to shoot _him._ Tup killed a Jedi! For all any of us knew, Fives was about to spread the same insanity to the rest of the army and even more Jedi could have been killed!"

"No, wait, I'm not saying 'snot important to protect the Jedi," Jesse said, his words slightly slurred despite his alarmed expression. "But…I'm just saying, if it was a Jedi who was sick… would they have killed him just like that? Would they?" Jesse's anger had faded back into grief now. "I know we're just soldiers… that's all we are… our lives can't be… they're… we're not the same as a Jedi… but Fives… Fives should've… they should've…."

"We're all loyal to the Republic," Rex said reassuringly. "I know neither of you would ever dream of betraying it willingly. Just like Fives. It's alright, Jesse."

"Yeah," Jesse said, staring at Rex with a conflicted look. "I mean, sure… I get upset sometimes. I… I wish sometimes that we weren't so… so…." Jesse gestured uselessly.

"Expendable?" Kix sighed, and reached for his drink.

"Yeah. Expendable." Jesse blinked hard at his own fist, frowning. "Sometimes I think about all of us who don't even make it past the first battle. All that training and it's all gone, and then there's more shinies to replace 'em. And then you live through so many battles just to die from a bug you can't even see! Or you sacrifice yourself so your brothers can live to fight another day, and they're nearly executed an hour later! What happened after all that trouble with Krell? We got sent right off to another battle! After all that. We weren't even allowed to go back to look for survivors!"

"There wouldn't have been any by then," Kix said, looking defeated. "Anyway… sometimes I think the ones who died early on were lucky… they didn't get forced into killing their own."

"I'm sick of all this," Jesse muttered, kneading his forehead with his knuckles. "I'm sick of all the death."

Rex just stood there, feeling strongly the taboo of how they were speaking now. But these experiences had changed them all irreversibly. And, he realized… it wasn't just the horror of Umbara, or the events on Ringo Vinda. It was the accumulation of all of it, the fear that all their blood and sacrifice might turn out to be meaningless.

"I'm… sick of it too," he said heavily. "Can't get a break from it, even in my sleep."

Kix's eyes were fixed on him and Rex couldn't tell if it was Kix's duty as a medic kicking in or something more.

"I know!" Jesse blurted. "The dreams, they've been getting worse all the time!"

Rex felt a sick rush of adrenaline. "The nightmares?" he prompted.

"Yeah," Jesse grunted, rubbing his eyes. "Ugh. Y'know, I was kinda worried about it, but I asked Kix and he said it's normal, he has 'em too…."

Kix opened his mouth as if to argue, but then just sighed and scratched his neck. "Well, I… I assumed. I've actually only had one or two other troopers report having these… particular dreams."

"And what dream is that?" Rex asked.

Kix looked around as if searching for an escape route, and Rex wondered if this was how he'd looked when General Skywalker had forced him to talk.

"I know you believe we're designed to withstand any kind of stress in combat," Kix said at last. "But I wonder sometimes… if that's true…because_ I_ have a theory that sometimes all this killing goes to our heads. Maybe consciously we can't be corrupted by it… but in our dreams… everyone becomes a target."

"A target? Kix, what do you mean?" Rex leaned closer.

"I mean… maybe deep down we're all afraid that killing is all we're good for, and it doesn't matter who we kill… someday maybe we won't care anymore who we're killing, even if it's our own friends… we'll stop caring because that's what a good soldier… does." Kix's voice was low and he stared at Rex as if waiting for a reprimand.

"You're not making any sense, Kix," Rex said calmly, although a chill was washing through his stomach. "A good soldier wouldn't kill his own allies."

"Not unless he was ordered to, sir," Kix said nervously. "And that's the problem, isn't it?"

"You're saying that you have dreams where you're ordered to kill allies?"

"Kill the _Jedi!_" Jesse blurted, all too loudly. Kix bristled and shushed him with a slap on the arm.

"Yeah, keep it down, Jesse," Rex said. He glanced around, thankful for the loud music for once. Still, the bartender was staring at them. "He's drunk."

"Very drunk," Kix laughed nervously.

"Sorry," Jesse mumbled. "But that's right, isn't it? We have to kill the Jedi. All of 'em. In the dream, I mean. Always the same mission. Can't do anything else. It's like I'm… trapped in my own body, and someone else is controlling it."

"That's funny," Rex muttered. "I've been having dreams just like that for a long time. And they've only gotten worse since Ringo Vinda. What about you, Kix?"

Kix nodded miserably. "Yeah. Me too. Before Ringo Vinda. What do you think it means?"

Rex thought carefully of how to respond. He didn't want his men getting involved in this for their own safety.

"Maybe you're on to something, Kix," he finally said. "Maybe it is stress related. Because of how often we have to follow orders, and watch our friends die as a result."

"When Tup first snapped," Kix confessed, "I thought it might have been this nightmare, somehow, if he had it too… maybe it just became reality. Maybe… he was just sick of it all. In a way… I'm glad it was this parasite that got him, because if I was right about it being combat-related, well…."

"It would mean a flaw in our design," Rex finished for him. "It would mean these dreams are because we all secretly hate the Jedi, is that what you're getting at?"

"No… we don't hate the Jedi, just this war," Kix said. "Like Jesse said, we don't always like the orders we're given… but at least they usually make some kind of sense. Maybe these dreams are a result of wondering what would happen if we were forced to turn against our own. Maybe the Jedi in our dreams are just a, a symbol or something."

Rex took a deep breath. "It's not easy to know when it's better to disobey orders. All of us who survived Umbara know that it might be necessary again someday. But we've been trained our entire lives that following orders comes before everything else, even the lives of our comrades."

"Y… yes, Captain," Kix said contritely.

Rex shook his head. "That wasn't a reprimand, Kix. I understand you're not saying any of this to criticize our leaders. Right now… I'm not speaking as your captain. Just another clone who went through the same thing you did. Back on Umbara, and in countless other battles." He motioned to the bartender for another drink. "I always thought… it was pretty clear, what our duty is. But sometimes it's not, and at times like that, we have to trust our own judgment." Rex frowned at his glass. "There are some choices I've made that I look back on now and wish I could have done differently."

"I know," Kix said, glancing at Jesse regretfully.

"Ahh, I can't be too hard on my brothers," Jesse mumbled, slumped against the counter with his chin in his hand. "'Sall Krell's fault anyway." He shoved Kix affectionately and Kix laughed and caught himself against the counter.

Rex took a long sip of his refilled drink. Now that he had his answer, it was a relief to get Kix and Jesse off the subject of the dreams and onto something a bit less dangerous, if no less treasonous. The knowledge that they all suffered from these same nightmares and fears, whether conspiracy or not, was unsettling, but also comforting in a way. He wasn't the only one who had struggled with these questions or wondered if there was something deep inside his mind that was terribly, terribly wrong.

…

It was early afternoon when Rex arrived at the library. Information was what he needed, and the library seemed like the obvious first step. In truth, he had been up since before dawn, woken by yet another nightmare, but had restlessly wiled away the hours, telling himself that there was nothing suspicious about a clone visiting the library. He had never directly heard any of his men mention using the library system, but that didn't necessarily mean it wasn't a common thing. Eventually, he decided he would wait until the afternoon, hoping that going later would mean more people in the library and less attention drawn to himself. Still, Rex felt like a trespasser from the moment he set foot on the front stairs.

Study must have done it, Rex reminded himself. Not all the information he gathered was available from the army databanks in the barracks.

His posture carefully composed to show that he did _not_ feel out of place, he strode purposefully past the front desk. But the librarian—a Cerean whose face was near level with Rex's despite her tall head—emitted a scandalized gasp that halted him in his tracks.

"Hello, soldier. Is there a problem?"

"It's Captain, actually," Rex said, then instantly hoped the librarian didn't take offense at such a response. "Uh. Hello," he tried, with a more friendly tone.

The Cerean looked like she was raising her eyebrows at him, but Rex wasn't sure if that was just the way her tall forehead normally looked.

"Captain, then. Is there a problem, Captain?"

"No. No problem, ma'am. I'm just here to do some research."

"We don't allow weapons here," she said, peering accusingly at the belt of his service uniform despite the fact that Rex had left his DC-17s at the barracks. "Or violence of any kind. If you're here to arrest or question one of our patrons, you'll have to wait until they leave the premises."

"I'm not here to arrest anyone." Rex gave her a steady look. "I'm part of the 501st, not a member of the city guard."

"Not part of the city guard?" She looked perplexed. "Then… what are you doing here?"

"As I said, I'm here to do some research," Rex repeated, more slowly this time, consciously aware that this conversation was much too loud for his comfort. "This… is a _public _library, isn't it? Anyone can use it?"

"Yes. Yes, of course," said the Cerean, looking slightly flustered as she picked up a damaged holobook she had been repairing, then set it down again. "I, uh… I simply didn't expect a _clone_ to have any interests—ah, interest. In coming here." She set her fingers above the computer console in front of her, but glanced back up at him two seconds later as if startled that he was still there.

"I don't have any weapons on me," Rex assured her, spreading his arms slightly so she could see. "And I don't intend to cause any trouble."

"Of course," she said. "Although, I'm afraid our selection of holobooks related to military training is sure to be unsatisfactory compared to the army's reference computers… much less the databases on Kamino, I'm sure."

"Sorry, ma'am," Rex said awkwardly, "but I'm not looking for anything like that. Maybe you can point me toward the history section."

"Oh! Oh." Somehow the puzzlement on her face kept getting stronger. "We don't have a section specifically on the history of cloning, but—"

"Just the, uh, general area will be fine, ma'am. As long as the years are clearly marked, I'm sure I can find what I'm looking for on my own after that."

"Alright." She stared at him in such a way that Rex briefly imagined her calling to one of her colleagues to come look at this oddity, exclaiming over him as one might over a fascinating bit of unidentified organic matter. But she just lifted a hand and pointed down the main walkway. "It's on the northwest corner of the bottom floor. There's a lift down that way."

"Thank you," Rex said, bowing his head slightly before turning and striding quickly away. He checked his pace after a few steps, realizing that to hurry in this place might be inappropriate, considering the peaceful atmosphere. But civilians had been stopping to stare at him by the librarian's desk, and if his mere presence made her so uncomfortable, perhaps the less time he spent here, the better.

Down below him and to the left, rows of shelves glowed dimly with the light of holobooks, mostly washed out by the much brighter light of the sun pouring in through the ceiling. Once Rex had descended to the bottom floor, he felt less watched. Everyone down here was absorbed in what they were reading, and only a few glanced up as he passed.

Rex took a few steps into the history section and found himself surrounded by hundreds of holobooks, their sides sporting thinly lettered titles on the Expansionist Era and the early formation of the Republic. Three aisles later things got a little more current… meaning, less than a dozen millennia ago. Rex walked to the end of the shelves and crossed in front of them, noting the centuries as they passed. He caught glimpses of subsections devoted to the various sectors of the galaxy and the early histories of individual planets or cultures. For a moment, the sheer volume of information overwhelmed him.

Four thousand years ago, and then three thousand, the markers said. There were Sith wars and Mandalorian wars, and Rex even did a double-take when he saw the name _Fett_ out of the corner of his eye. Cassus Fett, perhaps some ancestor of his own. But he hadn't come here to look up Mandalorian history.

The sections got larger as they drew closer to the present. At last, he reached the last one, which encompassed the last fifteen years and thus, the year his own life had begun. It was an odd feeling, realizing how short a time he had lived, standing on the edge of the unknown with so much history behind him. A few moments later, his wandering eyes stopped and he reached for it: _The Life of Chancellor Palpatine._

He called up the holographic preview. The title image was of a beautiful city surrounded by water and lush plant life. Rex looked at the table of contents, tracing his finger down the chapter titles and the years_. Invasion of Naboo,_ said the chapter which was marked with the very same year Rex had been an embryo.

Rex grabbed a stack of other holobooks at random and went to find a free table, passing several open ones that were too close to other people, and finally settling on one tucked behind a subsection on creation legends. Half an hour later, he had read the entire chapter, checked the index for any mention of Kamino or clones, and started skimming the text from the beginning.

_Organic chips, built into our genetic code._ If every clone truly had been implanted with these chips at birth, the best time for Palpatine to interfere would have been the very beginning. But so far, there was not even the slightest hint of how the Chancellor might have been involved. Contrary to Rex's expectations, the Chancellor had not even been in a position of much power until that year. He was only a senator from Naboo, who had neither the means nor the motive to create a conspiracy of such magnitude.

Rex's brow furrowed as he stared down at the page. There had been no indication of coming war with the Separatists in that year. He scrolled through the surrounding pages to double check. Yes: the Confederacy of Independent Systems hadn't even existed until after the clone army was commissioned.

Rex had always assumed that the clone army was created in response to a pre-existing threat, but if this book was at all accurate, then they were created in a time of relative peace. If Chancellor Palpatine hadn't commissioned the clone army, who had?

He paged forward to the first mention of clones: the Battle of Geonosis. The word was buried deep in a long paragraph. _In response to this sudden discovery of a Separatist conspiracy, the Senate granted Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers. The desperate situation which led to such a dramatic change in policy became apparent when the first battle of what would become known as the Clone Wars broke out that same day, and a force of over two hundred thousand clone infantrymen was led by Jedi Master Yoda to vanquish the droid armies of the CIS. This clone army was later renamed the Grand Army of the Republic…._

That was all. No further mention of clones in that chapter, and the next only briefly touched on how the Chancellor helped to organize the army under Jedi generals. There had to be some information somewhere about who commissioned the army to begin with.

Rex looked up to check whether any of the other books he'd grabbed might be useful, and froze. A clone trooper was approaching his table—a commander by the insignia on his tunic.

"Reading anything interesting, Captain?" The commander leaned across the table and lifted the biography so he could see the title on the side.

The commander could have been nearly anyone. He had the typical clone hairstyle, and no tattoos or other markings on his face to set him apart.

"Just… catching up on a little history," Rex said casually, trying to watch the other's face without being too obvious. He reminded himself that, as uneasy as he felt, he was doing nothing wrong. It wasn't all that strange for a clone to be reading about the first battle of Geonosis.

"Life of the Chancellor," the commander said with eyebrows raised, and pulled out a chair across from Rex. "Could be enlightening. What else are you… _investigating_ there?" He tilted his head to look at the stack of books Rex hadn't yet touched.

Rex pushed them to an angle where the commander could read the titles more easily. Most of them were biographies of other key figures in the war. There was even one about Senator Amidala.

"Looks like you have an interest in politics." The commander leaned back in his seat, but left his palms resting on the table between them. His expression seemed pleasant enough.

"I just like to stay informed," Rex said, and closed Palpatine's biography. "Is there something you wanted to speak with me about, Commander?"

The commander stared straight at him for three or four long seconds before his eyes narrowed a little. He glanced around and leaned forward again. "Well? Did you find anything?"

"Sir?" Rex gave him a questioning look.

"About what he said. You know… in the warehouse." The commander's voice dropped to a whisper, his eyes boring into Rex.

Rex stared back, skin prickling. "Commander Fox." He was relieved that his voice sounded merely surprised. "I…didn't recognize you out of your armor."

Fox shook his head slightly, glancing around again. "Sometimes, brother, it's a good thing not to be recognized."

Rex stayed silent, trying to work out if that sentence was a warning, a taunt, or a confession.

"I can't say I blame you for being cautious," Fox went on. "I've been pretty spooked myself since that whole thing with Fives happened."

Rex squinted at Fox. "I don't follow you."

Fox's brow furrowed. "Let's just say for a second that he was right. About everything. It would be a pretty big risk to even ask questions about it, right? You wouldn't want anyone to think you were being… disloyal."

"I'm on leave, sir," Rex said bluntly. "I decided that learning a little history would be a good use of my time. I don't think anyone can accuse me of disloyalty just for looking at books that are available to every citizen of the Republic. But if you're saying someone does have doubts, I'd be more than happy to address them."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about you," Fox said grimly, lacing his hands on the table. "I was explaining why _I'm_ here. And why it's a relief that you didn't recognize me, actually."

Rex studied Fox's face. His instinct was to continue playing dumb, but Fox was as close to the Chancellor as any clone had ever been or probably ever would be. If he was telling the truth and wanted to help investigate… his resources and internal intelligence would be invaluable to any effort Rex made to uncover the truth.

Maybe the knot in his stomach was just a result of seeing it again in his mind's eye: the smoking hole in Fives' chest, and the gun in Fox's hand. But maybe it wasn't.

"Could I offer you some advice, Commander?" Rex said quietly, mind racing.

Fox blinked. "By all means."

"I assume that you were following orders, the night Fives died. Maybe you weren't given explicit orders to shoot to kill, but all you knew was that Fives had tried to assassinate the Chancellor, and maybe you knew that he might be infected with something that had already made another trooper go insane and kill a Jedi General. You did… what you felt you had to." Rex inhaled slowly. "Maybe now you've thought twice about what happened. But even if the Chancellor were in on some conspiracy, like Fives claimed, what good would it do for you to try and investigate? Or me? What could we do that Fives couldn't? General Skywalker heard everything Fives said, and he took it to the Jedi Council. I think this is a matter better left to them."

Fox's eyes narrowed more and more as Rex went on. He looked worried.

"How much did you hear, anyway?" Rex asked.

"I'm not sure how long you were already talking to him when my men and I arrived." Fox shrugged. "I heard him accuse the Chancellor, and he mentioned this thing about the chips before, when we were escorting him off the ship. But anyway… then I saw that he'd trapped you and General Skywalker in that ray shield. My next move seemed like the obvious response."

Rex sighed under his breath. "What did Fives say about the chips?"

"He said they were being used in a conspiracy to control the army."

"That's all?" For a moment Rex had dared to hope that another clue would present itself.

"Yeah. Why? Did he say something more about it to you?"

"No, sir."

Fox frowned at him. "So you really aren't worried about what he said."

"I can't think of any reason why the Chancellor would be part of such a conspiracy," Rex said honestly. "I don't know how Fives came to that conclusion. I wish I did. But he's dead now, and can't tell us any more about it. And nothing we do from this point on is going to change that fact. So unless _you_ know something more about why Fives believed he was being framed by the Chancellor, there's nothing we can do but accept that Fives… really had lost his mind to that parasite."

"I guess you're right," sighed Fox tensely, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. "It's just been… bothering me, this whole… conspiracy thing. I really hoped you would know something more about it."

"Sorry, Commander. I wish I did. I would think," Rex mused, "being the leader of the City Guard, you'd know the character of the Chancellor better than any of us."

"Well," Fox laughed lightly. "I'm not a senator. He doesn't tell me everything. But you're right… from all I know of him, the Chancellor's no traitor. He has the Republic's best interests at heart."

"Well, then," Rex said evenly. "I guess we've got nothing to worry about."

Fox looked at him sideways. "I wouldn't say that, Captain. There are still plenty of other possibilities. If the Separatists are involved, I would worry plenty. If they can get at the chips in our heads, that suggests a very high level of infiltration among Republic forces. It could mean the war's outcome was decided before it even began."

"Hmm." Rex shut off the biography and set it back on top of the stack. "We're supposed to be immune to that parasite now. If one of us goes crazy again, then we'll know there's a conspiracy still ongoing. But the mastermind behind it had better target someone else's men, because they're not gonna get any more members of the 501st. Not on my watch."

"On that note… I'd be vigilant, if I were you, Captain." Fox stood and leaned across the table a bit, speaking in a much sharper and more unsettling tone than he'd yet used. "Fives may not have been solely responsible for his behavior, but I've noticed you and your men are a little unorthodox to begin with. You don't want to attract any more unwanted attention to yourself. If a conspirator is responsible for this, I wouldn't be surprised if they _were_ targeting the 501st. You've made it easy."

"Thanks for the warning." Rex said quietly. He stood too, and Fox took a step back. "I think it's time for me to visit the mess. Excuse me, Commander."

"See you around… Captain."

Rex deposited his books with a shelving droid and headed for the exit, careful not to seem too particular in where his eyes wandered on the way out. Fox didn't seem to be following him.

The librarian was gone from the front desk when he passed it, and Rex wondered if Fox had encountered any trouble coming in, like he had. The Commander had waltzed up to him as if two clones meeting in the public library was the most natural thing in the galaxy, but the librarian's attitude suggested differently. Fox's presence could not have been an accident.

Once he was out in the open, surrounded by the familiar noise of traffic and voices, he realized just how tense he had been during that conversation. For a moment, as the anxiety faded like a dream, he wondered again if he was overreacting, made paranoid by all this talk of plots and deceptions. Perhaps Fox's normally dramatic manner made everything he said seem much more sinister than it was. Maybe he was honestly worried about this incident and had gone to such lengths out of hope that Rex could help put his mind at ease.

With a sinking feeling, Rex realized that it was too big a risk either way. Even in the unlikely event that Fox wasn't involved at all, _getting_ him further involved would be too dangerous—he couldn't trust the Commander's discretion in sharing such treasonous thoughts. This plot—if it existed—involved the use of clones, and any clone who knew about it ran the risk of being marked as a threat… to be eliminated as soon as possible.

...

Rex barely tasted any of what he was chewing as he sat in the noisy mess hall. His investigation had only just begun, but he was already running out of ideas for where he could look further. He had hoped his visit to the library would lead him in a new direction, but although Fox had cut his research short, Rex had a feeling he would have found little in the other books in his stack. He should probably have felt relieved to have found no evidence of a conspiracy, but if it was really a plot so deep and dark, any evidence that might have existed would have been destroyed long ago. Rex felt the first flicker of fear that he would never be able to move past this, because no lack of evidence could ever prove that a conspiracy didn't exist; it could just as easily mean the mastermind was in a position of considerable power and knew how to manipulate information. Rex put down his fork. The foodboard sitting on his tray had never looked so unappetizing, and that was saying something.

"They're back!"

"Victory on Ord Radama!"

An uproar of cheers by the doors brought his head around. The 212th was streaming in, a mass of white and goldenrod, and the men around the room were lifting their glasses in toasts. Cody was there at the front, laughing at the loud congratulations as his brothers crowded around slapping each other on the back and shaking each other by the shoulders. Rex hadn't seen him look so genuinely thrilled since their graduation into the army.

Cody caught his eye across the room. Rex stood and went toward him, but the crowd was too thick to reach him right away. For a moment Rex lost sight of him until suddenly Cody was there right next to him, gripping his arms

"Rex!" Cody yelled happily. "We're halfway there! Ossus and Ryloth are already ours, and the Seppies are pulling out of New Bornalex! We're going to win this war!"

"Course we are." Rex forced a smirk. He felt less of Cody's contagious excitement than he wanted to.

"I heard you were there on Ryloth!" Cody threw an arm around Rex's shoulders and tried to extricate himself from the crowd. "Too bad Commander Bacara and General Mundi had to take all the credit, right?"

"Oh, I don't think General Skywalker will let them take_ all_ the credit," Rex said dryly. "Or General Secura, for that matter." Cody was pulling him forward aimlessly, occasionally stopping to grip hands, arms, or shoulders of comrades, so Rex headed for the table he'd just vacated. Cody followed, still not letting go.

"It was all worth it." Cody said it in one big exhale. "Let me tell you, that was a long, _exhausting_ battle, but we won!" He grabbed at the air with his free hand, clenching a victorious fist. "It was all worth it. Guess this means you'll be shipping out to Xagobah soon."

"Maybe," Rex said, wondering if General Skywalker would allow him to return to service in time.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry." Cody let go of Rex so they could both sit down. "You'll be back here before you know it! Those clankers can't take the terrain like we can. Once we start this second wave of assaults, we'll only keep building momentum. I predict total surrender from the Separatists in less than a year!"

_And then what?_ Rex thought. He kept a small smile at the corner of his mouth, to encourage Cody to go on.

"I don't know where General Kenobi will be taking us next," Cody said. "If he's not sick of swamps yet, maybe we'll join the fight on Xagobah."

"Yeah. Maybe."

Cody's grin faded quickly. "Rex, what's wrong? Something's bothering you." He froze for a second. "That's right—the parasite. I heard… it killed two of your men."

So that was the official story. No mention of the manhunt for Fives, although surely word would get around through everyone who had been involved. Rex clenched his hands under the table.

"Yeah. Tup… and Fives."

"Fives?" Cody's face fell and he shook his head. "He deserved a better end than that."

"At least we have a cure now," Rex said, not wanting to puncture the jubilant spirit in the room. "Anyway… it happened before we even went to Ryloth. I've already spent more than enough time thinking about it. _Now _it's time to celebrate your victory."

Cody hesitated a moment, then gave in and smiled. "Right. _Our_ victories. Here we are, back together again! And I'm starving, actually."

"Better get in line before all the 'boards are gone," Rex said.

"Yeah." Cody walked off, and Rex was glad to see the spring already returning to his step. And now that General Kenobi was back, he had an idea of where to take his own next step.

Cody returned a few minutes later with a stack of sliced foodboard and something that looked suspiciously like dressed up energy pudding.

"Welcome back, Commander," Rex tried joking.

"Good to be back," Cody said as he sat down. "Did anything else happen while I was gone?"

"Not really," Rex said. "Listen, Cody… I need to ask you a favor."

"Alright." Cody took a bite.

"I need to speak with General Kenobi… alone."

Cody swallowed hard and winced. "Okay," he coughed. "Sure. But… is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure yet." Rex looked at Cody earnestly. "And I don't want rumors spreading around if I'm mistaken. I just need to ask him some questions, that's all."

"You're being awfully mysterious." Cody raised his eyebrows. "But alright. I'm sure you'll tell me what's going on sooner or later."

"If there's anything to tell." Rex tried not to feel guilty about lying; his secrecy was for Cody's own protection.

"I'll tell him you would like to meet as soon as possible, then."

"Thanks," Rex breathed in relief. "So… looks like you didn't lose too many this time."

"Less than I expected, for such a large operation," Cody nodded. "At one point, though, things looked like they might take a turn for the worst. Over half our forces lost communications, but we all just stuck to the plan, and apart from a few diversions… things worked out exactly like the General predicted. Longest textbook battle I've ever fought, but there were a_ lot_ of clankers. By the time we were finished, the roads were practically paved with them." He huffed a laugh. "The cities looked like massive scrap piles!"

"That'll teach the Separatists. A few more battles like that, maybe they'll finally start running out of droids. It can't be cheap to keep building new ones."

"Cheaper than we are," Cody said. "But you can't beat quality with quantity, right?"

Rex laughed under his breath, aware that he still wasn't measuring up to Cody's high spirits. But Cody seemed willing to overlook that, and Rex was grateful when a few sergeants and commanders of the other divisions came up to distract him. It was good to see that life went on as usual, as much as Rex had felt isolated lately. And that made the thought of this conspiracy all the more frightening. Just like on Ringo Vinda, someday this might all come crashing down at a moment's notice, with no warning, and leave a trail of unanswerable questions in its wake.

...

Obi-Wan stared at the map of Ord Radama, and then back at the grid from the sensor logs with its little blips of light that represented ships. As well as the battle had gone on the ground, the battle above the planet had been very different.

"Found any new information about their tactics?" Master Choi asked over hologram.

"No. But I don't think their ships were equipped with anything particularly unusual." Obi-Wan sighed and pulled at his mustache nervously. "From the readings I see here, it seems the first two of our ships to be decimated were flying without operable shields, just like the others who fell back. I've thoroughly debriefed the command crews of each surviving ship that was forced to retreat, and I believe the key is in the order of events. As soon as those ships began firing, something happened so that their weapons system overloaded, and the shields failed."

Master Choi pulled his head back so that his scaly chin rested on his collar. "Hm. Unlucky coincidence?"

"I don't think so. I'll request a report on where those ships last stopped for repairs or modifications. Someone must have done a bad job on them. It may have even been the same person for all five ships."

"Don't worry, Master Kenobi," General Choi said brightly. "I'll look into it for you. You shouldn't worry so much. These things do happen sometimes, you know, and technology isn't always reliable."

"Mm yes, I suppose you're right… but I have a bad feeling about this."

"Perhaps some meditation is in order," Choi suggested kindly. "In the meantime, I'll get the results of my investigation to you as soon as I can. May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan bowed slightly and Choi's hologram disappeared. He turned back to the grids he was studying and wondered if perhaps it was time to take a break after all.

His communicator beeped, and Cody's voice came through. "General Kenobi."

"Yes, Cody?"

"Captain Rex asked me to relay a message to you, sir. He would like to meet with you privately as soon as you are available."

Obi-Wan frowned at his wrist. "Curious. Did he say why?"

"No, sir. He only said that he wanted to avoid any rumors if he was mistaken."

"Mistaken about what, I wonder," Obi-Wan said half to himself.

"Your guess is as good as mine, General. Will you meet with him?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, after only a moment's hesitation. "Tell the Captain I'll meet him at the command barracks at eighteen hundred hours. Was anyone else told of this?"

"I doubt anyone was listening in, sir. We're all too busy celebrating."

"Let's keep it that way for now. I appreciate your discretion."

"Any time, sir. Cody out."

Obi-Wan lowered his arm with a sense of creeping dread. Rex's concerns should have been brought to Anakin. There could only be one reason the Captain was coming to him instead—Anakin had done something that Rex wanted to report to the Jedi Council.

Eighteen hundred hours was nearly an hour and a half away. Obi-Wan tried turning his attention back to the holograms, but after a few minutes of staring blankly at them, he knew it was futile. His mind was no longer on the details of his own mission, but on Anakin's. He called up the report, wondering what his former Padawan might have done.

There was no hint of questionable behavior in the report—by all accounts, Anakin had assisted the transfer of casualties without any problem, and then provided a diversion for Secura and her troops. No unnecessary bravado, no suspicious blanks where he might have slipped off to some secret rendezvous. Obi-Wan sighed at himself, saddened by his own fears.

Did he really believe Anakin was capable of something truly terrible? He thought of all the times Anakin had killed in front of him, all too nonchalantly. But so had every Jedi, by now. There wasn't time to offer grief at each life taken. It was a truth Obi-Wan had never quite managed to make peace with.

As the minutes ticked by, he retreated to the gardens, trying to meditate as Master Choi suggested. Seated on the ground by the bank of a pond, he heard the trees rustling above and around him, and the water flowing gently, almost soundlessly. Obi-Wan's worry flowed through him but never fully left, bringing with it wild speculation. Had Anakin harmed civilians? Disregarded the lives of some of the casualties, or of his own men? Become inappropriately involved with someone? Killed someone he should have taken prisoner, or tortured someone for information? It wouldn't be the first time.

Despite his increasing professionalism on the battlefield, Anakin felt disturbingly distant and unpredictable at times, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but worry. He didn't like what this war was doing to the Jedi Order—and if it was even affecting _him_ so much, Obi-Wan barely dared imagine how this endless violence and suspicion might seep into Anakin's fierce, unguarded heart.

He tried not to let these thoughts discourage him. He had done his best to train Anakin well, to give him the tools he needed to control himself. But sometimes it was difficult to believe the fault was not his own. Perhaps his own attachment to Anakin had inadvertently caused this deficiency in his training. All too often, a Padawan inherited its master's weaknesses, and Obi-Wan knew that for all his preaching, he was not a perfect model of detachment… not at all.

At long last, the time came to leave. Minutes later, his speeder was parked outside the barracks, and the rushing air still hadn't completely cleared his mind. Obi-Wan walked through the doors to find Rex waiting at attention just on the other side.

"Captain," Obi-Wan said in blunt greeting. "Have you decided where we should talk?"

"Yes, sir," Rex said briskly. "Right this way."

A few minutes later they entered one of the storage rooms where tools and spare parts for the army's many vehicles were kept.

"No one should interrupt us here, sir."

"Very good." Obi-Wan said, and faced Rex squarely. "Now… let's not waste any time, shall we?"

Rex's posture was still rigid with formality. "Yes, General. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I… realize this is unusual."

"Indeed it is. Very unusual. I can only assume the situation is serious." Obi-Wan did not bother to keep a placid expression. "Is it Anakin?" he asked sharply. "What has he done?"

"Sir?" The Captain's eyebrows furrowed.

"You must be fairly certain of whatever you saw or heard." Obi-Wan took a step closer to Rex, his voice rising slightly. "You would never speak ill of him otherwise."

"Speak ill of General Skywalker?" Rex looked taken aback at the thought. "General Kenobi, I'm—I'm sorry, sir, but you misunderstand. That is not why I've asked to speak with you."

"Isn't it? I was wondering what you might want to ask _me_ that you couldn't just as easily ask your own General," Obi-Wan explained. "The most obvious explanation is that you needed to report something to the Jedi Council without him knowing about it."

"I have _no_ complaints about General Skywalker's command, sir!" Rex almost sounded offended.

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked skeptically. "Then why are you so tense? So defensive? I know this must be difficult for you, considering how much personal loyalty you have to Anakin. But if he _has_ done something seriously wrong, the Council needs to know about it."

Rex stared at him with for a long moment. "Excuse me, General. I meant no disrespect, I was… I didn't realize the Jedi Council had any doubts about General Skywalker's loyalty. It surprised me, that's all."

"Oh. Well then," Obi-Wan sighed, deflated by the realization of how indiscreet he was being. Sharing his own doubts about a fellow Jedi with a clone officer was improper at best. "We don't… doubt his loyalty, exactly. _I_ doubt his judgment and self-discipline, at times, but…."

He cleared his throat, embarrassed at his rash behavior.

"Moving on then, to the _real_ reason you asked me here."

"Thank you, sir." Rex hesitated. "If I seem uneasy, General, it's only because… some questions have been weighing pretty heavily on my mind since Ringo Vinda. I have mentioned my concerns to General Skywalker, but I'd rather not bother him again until I have more information."

"And what exactly have you been bothering him with?" Obi-Wan gave a weak smile, hoping Rex would relax and get to the point. "You have my permission to speak freely, of course."

A tight breath escaped Rex as he nodded. Obi-Wan noted the Captain's fists clenching at his sides, his eyes a little restless.

"Starting from the beginning," Rex finally said. "Two of my best men, Tup and Fives, were killed because, for whatever reason, their inhibitor chips began to break down. Now, I didn't even _know_ about these chips until Fives mentioned them. He believed that they were part of a conspiracy—that they could be used to control our actions and turn us against the Jedi."

"So I've heard," Obi-Wan said. "But there have been no more breakdowns since the army was inoculated. I'm inclined to believe that the parasite the doctors found was indeed the cause."

"Sir, I've done some research since the incident with Fives, and I realized that the army was commissioned long before the Separatists became a threat. Naturally, I've been wondering _who_ decided the Republic needed an army this large in a time of peace."

"What are you getting at, Captain?" Obi-Wan asked. "You're saying you've been investigating the possibility of a conspiracy on your own?" Perhaps Anakin was rubbing off a little too much on his first-in-command.

"Yes, sir." Rex kept his chin up. "It's my duty to defend the Republic, and the lives of my men."

"Yes…." Obi-Wan frowned at Rex, unsettled by the almost accusatory tone he heard in the Captain's voice. "And… you believe whoever commissioned the army is also responsible for what happened to your men?"

"I haven't come to any conclusions yet, General," Rex sighed. "But if there were a way for these chips to make us turn on our allies, the best time to set that up would have been at the very beginning of our creation."

"You seem to be suggesting that the enemy simply dropped a time bomb on our doorstep and hoped we'd take it inside." Obi-wan smiled wanly. "That seems like a rather foolish plan if you ask me."

Actually, Obi-Wan felt a zing of nerves at the thought, but dismissed it. It was true, there was still so much mystery surrounding Syfo-Dias and his decision to keep the army a secret even from the Council itself. But Rex couldn't possibly know any of that.

The Captain frowned at the floor. "I'm just trying to explore every possibility, sir. To be honest, I'd like nothing more than to put this matter to rest. But I can't seem to get that question out of my head." His brow was furrowed as he looked back up at Obi-Wan, his voice soft. "General… if you could tell me who was involved in commissioning the army, maybe it would help put my mind at ease."

"Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to share such information with just anyone," Obi-Wan said lightly. "Not without the Council's approval."

"But, sir—"

"Rest assured." Obi-Wan raised a hand to cut Rex off. "The Council is not blind to the possibility of a traitor or a spy among our forces. But judging from our information, you and all the other clones should be safe from any further breakdowns."

A pained look crossed Rex's face before he nodded once. "Yes, sir. I'm relieved to hear it. I assume, then, that whoever commissioned the army was someone the Jedi trusted?"

"What you can assume is that the Jedi Council would not have missed any lead you might think you have, Captain." Obi-Wan stared at Rex, amazed at the Captain's relentlessness. "It is not your responsibility to investigate this. You trust Anakin and I, don't you?"

"Yes, sir! Absolutely."

"Then I fail to see why you feel any need to question me on this." Obi-Wan folded his arms. "Or go behind Anakin's back for a second opinion in the first place."

"As I said, General," Rex said uncomfortably. "The only reason I'm asking you instead of General Skywalker is because _you _are a member of the Jedi Council and, as I thought, you have access to more information. It has nothing to do with whether or not I trust and respect him. I do. I've trusted him with my life and the lives of my men every time we go into battle."

"Good. Then there's nothing more to discuss, is there?"

"Sir, with all due respect, I was _there_ when Fives—"

"Captain Rex!" Obi-Wan burst, his shock at Rex making his stern tone a bit louder than he'd intended.

Rex winced and snapped to attention. "Sir."

Obi-Wan took a moment to breathe and center himself. "Perhaps you should explain to me in more detail why you're so fixated on this."

"I'm sorry, sir," Rex said very quietly, head bowed. "You're right…it isn't my place."

Something about the Captain's contrition, the sudden reversion to an even more submissive clone than Obi-Wan had ever known Rex to be, reminded him that it was not, in fact, his own Padawan he was dealing with. Guilt began to seep in as he realized Rex would never be so willful for its own sake. He was not Anakin, after all.

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, calming as he submitted to its flow. The Captain was exhausted, that much came through clearly… and afraid. There was a sense of rawness, a wound that had not quite closed, but no ill-will, none of the resentment or pride that came off Anakin in waves when he was being contrary.

"You meant no harm by it," Obi-Wan decided aloud. "I should have realized that these events have had a profound impact on you… especially considering you were closely involved in both incidents." He stroked his beard slowly. "Naturally, it must be hard to reconcile the men you knew with what they became in their last moments."

Rex said nothing, but Obi-Wan saw him take a slow breath.

"The most terrifying enemy of all is the darkness in our own minds," Obi-Wan went on, softening his voice a bit more. "They fell to it through no fault of their own. You can at least take comfort in that." He frowned sympathetically. "It's not strange that you should dwell on this, but remember… fear will destroy your mind in much the same way if you allow it to take too much of a hold. I've never thought of you as the type to become paralyzed by uncertainty."

"No, sir," Rex agreed in an undertone. "I prefer to take action whenever I can."

"Sometimes, when something like this occurs, the greatest action we can take is simply to not act," Obi-Wan murmured, putting a hand on Rex's shoulder. "Your duty is to the living, Captain. Trying to change the past will only make it harder to heal."

"Yes, General," Rex breathed, meeting his eyes steadily despite the weariness in his voice. "I understand."

"Get some rest, if you can," Obi-Wan said. "Until this war is over, the integrity of the army is one of the Jedi Council's greatest concerns. If anything threatens that again, you can be sure we_ will_ take it seriously."

"I appreciate the reassurance, sir," Rex saluted briefly. "Thank you for coming to see me."

Obi-Wan gave a half-salute in return. "You're a fine soldier, Captain. Take care, and keep an eye on Anakin for me."

"I've got his back, sir," Rex gave a half-smile, and with a short nod, Obi-Wan turned to go, resolving to try and follow his own advice.

It seemed even the clones feared being turned from their true purpose, twisted by this war into something they had never intended to be. Maybe when this violence was over, all its participants—clones, Jedi, politicians, and all—would finally have time to recover the clarity that was slipping from their fingers day by day.

…

Standing at the guard rail on the platform outside Seventy-Nines was like standing on the edge of a cliff face. Beyond was one of the industrial sectors, where the roofs leveled out far, far below Rex's vantage point. In the dim collective light of the city, it almost resembled a rocky wasteland or a vast lake reflecting the upper levels of the metropolis. Behind him, a few drunk officers laughed obnoxiously over nothing, but on the whole, it was quieter out here, and certainly much less crowded.

He wanted to celebrate with Cody, but after five minutes of standing in the overstuffed bar, Rex knew he wasn't going to enjoy this no matter how hard he tried. He would just bring down the mood if he stayed, so here he was, leaning on the rail and wondering where to look next.

There had been a second trip to the library, and just as he suspected, it yielded little information of interest. All he'd really learned was that despite recent scientific interest in Kamino's ecosystems and ocean life, general knowledge of Kaminoan society and history was extremely limited. By all appearances, their cloning had been a small but lucrative endeavor before Jango Fett had come along, and the Grand Army of the Republic was probably the single largest order of clones the planet's facilities had ever received. Most likely, he wouldn't learn anything he didn't already know about being a clone unless a Kaminoan chose to tell him.

Rex heaved a huge sigh and rubbed hard between his eyes. So many dead ends. And all the lost sleep was catching up to him. The world felt surreal and dangerous even in perfectly safe environments like the barracks, the dark feeling from his dream clinging on to the edges of his waking hours.

Footsteps came up behind him and Rex turned, grabbing for pistols that weren't there.

"Cody." He relaxed.

"Rex." Cody smiled, smacking his arm lightly. "What are you doing out here?"

"Sorry. Guess I'm just not in the mood." Rex shrugged with an apologetic look.

"You missed a great story from Bly," Cody laughed under his breath. "I'll tell it to you some other time though. You sure you're alright? You don't look so good." He leaned on the rail next to Rex.

"I think I'm just tired," Rex said. "Still not sleeping very well."

"Bad dreams?"

"Yeah." Rex glanced at Cody, but the Commander's face was peaceful, his eyes briefly closed against an updraft. "Really bad."

Cody studied the patterns of lights below, waiting for a surge of raucous voices behind them to subside. "How was your talk with General Kenobi?"

"Eh," Rex breathed, not sure what to say. "It wasn't exactly what I expected. But it looks like there was nothing to worry about after all."

"Of course there was nothing to worry about." Cody grinned. "Come on, Rex. I told you, we're winning this!"

"The tide of a battle can turn in less than a second," Rex said, half to himself. "But you're right… maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"Everything alright with General Skywalker, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well? I dunno," Cody waved a hand in a jokingly exasperated gesture. "Can you blame me for trying to guess what's going on with you? You've been acting kind of odd. I thought maybe it had something to do with Fives and…."

"Tup," Rex finished for him.

"Yeah." Cody tilted his head. "Wanna talk about it?"

Rex stared back. Gratitude clashed with the creeping chill in his chest and he tried to think of a truth he could tell without having to explain everything.

"If you don't, I understand." Cody turned so his back was against the rail. "Or if sensitive information is involved. Your choice."

"I know." Rex looked away. "You're right. Something about the situation with Tup and Fives hit me pretty hard. I haven't been at my best since then. I've been distracted. And now people are starting to notice."

"Ahh. Gotcha." Cody smirked. "General Skywalker's not the best Jedi to go to for advice about staying level-headed. General Kenobi, on the other hand…."

"You'd better stop criticizing my General, Commander." Rex punched Cody's arm lightly.

Cody laughed. "It's true, isn't it? You went to General Kenobi for answers. You must have thought he'd have better ones that General Skywalker." Cody raised an eyebrow. "Did he?"

"Yeah. I guess he did," Rex said softly.

"Let me guess." Cody folded his arms and squinted up at the invisible stars. "He told you that it's natural to be disturbed by what happened. I mean, you watched one of your own men fire on a Jedi General. A soldier you knew to be loyal! And then it nearly happened all over again with Fives, right?" Cody gave the sky a deep frown. "I know if I'd seen that happening right in front of me… it would be like my worst nightmares coming true."

"Yeah." Rex swallowed. "Exactly."

"Were you worried something was wrong with you, too?" Cody's voice softened.

Rex nodded. "For a while there, I was convinced I was infected. Then, after we all got the inoculation, I still didn't feel right." He sighed and gripped the rail tight. "So I wanted to make sure there wasn't any chance I would go the same way as Tup and Fives."

"And General Kenobi told you something that eased your mind?" Cody guessed.

"A little. He's pretty sure I'm just… still shocked about what happened," Rex shrugged. "He's probably right," he added grudgingly.

"Probably?" Cody raised an eyebrow. "The alternative is that you're not shocked at all, and in that case, I'd say something _is_ wrong with you. We may be designed to deal with more than most soldiers can take, but that doesn't mean we're emotionless droids. Fives was one of your best men, right?"

"Yeah. And a good friend."

"So? How many times have we talked after a hard battle about all the good men we lost? We both know how to focus and keep appearances on the battlefield, but like this?" Cody pointed at the space between them. "Just between us, it's different, isn't it? We both know there have been battles that hit us too hard. I still can't believe what happened on Umbara. But your men have been pushed hard from the beginning, I mean… Teth was especially bad for the Five Hundred First." Cody shook his head slowly. "I'm telling you Rex, I don't envy you sometimes. You've been through a lot. You don't always have to pretend it doesn't matter."

Chest tight, Rex blew out a breath and surprised himself by turning it into a laugh halfway through. "You know, what you just said… it reminds me of some things I've heard General Skywalker say before, to Commander Tano."

"Does that mean you'll listen to me because my advice is almost as wise as a Jedi's?" Cody teased, nudging him with his elbow.

"As long as you take being compared to Skywalker as a compliment," Rex shot back.

Cody laughed, the loud laugh he got when he was a little buzzed. The sound of it, and the sight of Cody's face split with a grin after offering such serious, comforting words, hit Rex right in the gut so that he started laughing too. And for a few seconds, the platform of Seventy-Nines transformed into a place where their nightmares were impossible.

"But Rex," Cody coughed, still a little breathless from laughing. "I mean it. It'll all turn out fine, you'll see. I know we're supposed to be the perfect soldiers, but sometimes I think you take that a little too literally."

"Well," Rex said wryly. "I _am_ still waiting on that promotion."

Cody laughed again, and Rex grinned, relieved that, just for these moments, he could forget about everything that had been weighing on him. Maybe what he'd told Fox earlier had more truth to it than he'd intended. What could he do that the Jedi Council could not? He had no leads after investigating Palpatine's life. And the dreams might simply be a shared phenomenon due to the fact that, as clones, they all started out with the same brain, the same nervous system… theoretically, the same basic way of making sense of all the violence they took part in every day.

"What?" Cody interrupted his thoughts. "What are you worrying about now?"

"I'm not worrying," Rex sighed. "It's just… hard to believe Fives could act like he did just because of some parasite."

Cody was silent for a moment before answering. "That must have been pretty terrible to watch."

"He wasn't himself," Rex said, and he found he halfway believed it.

His mind began to replay the scene in the warehouse, Fives shaking and gasping in his arms, but he forced himself to focus on Cody's concerned face instead, and the horror faded enough that he could speak again.

"Hey," Rex said. "Thanks for coming out here. I'll be alright—you shouldn't miss out on the fun just because of this."

"Nah… it's probably a good thing I left when I did. Some of the boys are getting pretty wasted." Cody grinned self-consciously. "Why give you one more story to embarrass me with?"

"And why would I _ever_ want to embarrass you?"

"I dunno, but if you ever did…." Cody chuckled.

"I can think of a lot worse than when you were drunk," Rex smirked. "Let's see… how about our first year training together…."

"Oh no," Cody protested. "No, no, no, that's different. See, I wasn't a Commander back then. I didn't have a reputation to uphold."

"You're going to get a reputation as the Commander who skipped out on his own victory party if you don't get back in there." Rex shoved Cody back toward the door. "I think I'm gonna turn in for the night. See you in the morning?"

"Bright and early," Cody joked. "Honestly, I'll probably be back before you fall asleep."

"Right," Rex said skeptically. As Cody said goodbye and walked away smiling, Rex took a deep breath of cool night air and thought that maybe tonight he would finally sleep peacefully.

…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

…

The hyperdrive engines hummed around Rex as he and Sergeant Appo walked quickly down the hall. The ship was small, a modified Consular-class cruiser, probably worked on by the General himself. The moment Skywalker had told him to select a team of ten, Rex had known that this wasn't a front-lines sort of mission, but the small size of the ship piqued his curiosity even more. Whatever they were about to dive into, it felt good to be in his armor again.

They entered the rear salon pod, a room designed to be useful for mission planning and comfortable enough for long diplomatic discussions. General Skywalker was waiting for them in the front row of seats facing the hologram pad. He stood up and turned toward them when the door slid shut.

"We're on schedule for our rendezvous with the _Hurricane,_" the General said immediately. "As I'm sure you gathered from our rushed departure, the situation is urgent. Rex, how much have you heard about the navy's little problem?"

"Not much, sir. I heard some fleets were forced to retreat due to malfunctions."

"Pretty serious malfunctions," Skywalker said, beckoning them both over to the hologram pad. "The kind that gets battle cruisers destroyed within seconds. And the problem is spreading fast. We've sent out a call for every ship in the navy to try powering up its weapons systems, and nearly twenty percent have already reported that when they tried, the system overloaded and their shields completely shut down."

Rex watched the tiny holographic Destroyers break up and explode under enemy fire, and thought of the hundreds of clones and other officers, perhaps even Jedi who met their end in the cold emptiness of space. The thought of dying in a vacuum had always felt particularly awful to him.

"That's number's way too high to be a coincidence," Appo said, also frowning at the naval battles Skywalker was replaying.

Skywalker nodded and continued. "A special ops squad has been dispatched to the _Hurricane_ to isolate the problem and has already reported that a sophisticated computer virus is responsible for the malfunctions, probably planted at the main naval base on Anaxes. Who planted it, and how to get rid of it… that's what we're here to find out."

Skywalker straightened from his hunched position over the holographic display, and looked between them. "Now. Appo, you're going to be my second in command. The Anaxsi military has a lead on a possible culprit; we'll be on an extraction mission."

"Yes, _sir!_" the Sergeant said.

Rex glanced between Appo and Skywalker, wondering what his role was supposed to be, and trying to ignore the fear that Skywalker was relegating him to a minor role out of distrust in his abilities. After his forced leave, things had gotten as close to normal as they could be. He'd managed to stop dwelling on Fives' dying words, and it was getting easier to sleep as time went on. But maybe the General still saw something lacking in his performance. Appo wasn't one of the ten Rex had personally chosen for the mission, but it was the General's right to add any extra forces he thought necessary.

"As for you, Rex," Skywalker said, turning to him with a tiny smirk. "You'll be commanding the commando unit on Anaxes."

"Commandos, sir?" Relieved but confused, Rex raised his eyebrows at the General. "I've never heard of a captain taking charge of a commando unit."

"It_ is_ a little unusual, isn't it?" Skywalker looked pleased. "But you were specifically requested for this mission. Looks like you've got a reputation. Your job will be to lead Diode Squad in the removal of the virus."

"Yes, sir." Rex felt like he was missing an important piece of information. This was a strange job to give him, and an even stranger one to hand to a squad of commandos. Trained squads were so few by now that those left were only sent on missions no other soldier or specialist could do.

"I was under the impression that Anaxes is a loyal member of the Republic," Appo said.

"It is. Most of our best naval officers are from Anaxes, including Admiral Yularen." Skywalker turned off the holographic display.

"Sir, did they say why a commando squad was assigned to this mission?" Rex said. "A computer technician be more suited for this. And I don't know the first thing about removing a computer virus."

The General leaned back against the table. "They're special, experimental commandos. They've been supplemented with some new hardware that makes it easier for them to communicate with computer systems." Skywalker slowly clenched and uncurled his hand, watching it thoughtfully. "That's all I know."

"You mean they're part machine?" Appo asked uneasily. "That just doesn't seem right."

Skywalker laughed. "Hey, you got a problem with my replacement parts, Sergeant? This hand isn't flesh and blood, you know." He waved his right hand carelessly.

"No problem, sir," Appo said immediately.

"Commander Wolffe has a cybernetic eye, too, doesn't he? I don't see how this is much different."

"Sorry, General," said Appo with a nervous smile. "I reacted without thinking. Guess I just hate to think of any clone being part clanker."

"I understand your reservations," Skywalker said in good humor. "But these enhancements are obviously effective if these clones are the ones being asked to track down the virus. I'll be curious to see how you get along with them, Rex."

"If they get the job done, I'll have no complaints," Rex said, although he didn't like the idea of experimental cyborgs either. Getting replacements for limbs lost in battle was one thing, but purposely adding on mechanical bits and pieces to otherwise healthy clones felt like spitting on the whole idea that clones were at least superior to droids.

"Good. I'll have more details on your separate missions once we've met up with the squad. Dismissed."

Out in the hall, Rex saw Appo's face relax.

"This will be your first time working this closely with General Skywalker, won't it?" Rex asked.

"Heh. Wonder who we're up against. Which do you think it is—a traitor, or a spy?"

"I know which one I'd prefer," Rex said simply. "But we have to be ready for anything. This can't be allowed to slow down the other fleets, or all the other battles we've won in the Outer Rim will be meaningless."

"I'm not worried," said Appo. "With you and Diode Squad, getting rid of that virus should be no problem, sir. And as for our suspect… well. General Skywalker and I will be sure to clean up _that _mess."

Rex gave a wry smile at Appo's confidence, but he knew the Sergeant had been through enough battles that it was more than just posturing. The General hadn't made a bad choice for team leader.

"With any luck," Rex said, "I'll finish up my end of the mission and join the rest of you in a few days."

Appo nodded. "And get there just in time to help us escort this criminal back to Coruscant."

…

The _Hurricane_ loomed monstrously before them, considerably larger than the planet Anaxes, glimmering a cool spectrum in the distance. Rex stood by General Skywalker in the cockpit and watched as they slowly came to a halt just outside its shuttle bay, like a fly hovering behind the ear of a great beast. Appo entered the cockpit and stopped just behind Rex.

A squarish, ponytailed man materialized via hologram. "General Skywalker. Good of you to come."

"Admiral Seize," Skywalker greeted him. "Sorry for being so cautious in my approach. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course. With nearly a quarter of our ships crippled, it would be foolish not to. I've been reassured that landing in our shuttle bay won't pass the virus to your ship, but if you wish, we can arrange to send a small, unarmed transport to bring your Captain here."

"I think that's a good idea," Skywalker agreed. "As for me, I need to know where I'm supposed to find the one who planted this virus."

"I'll let… one of our guests brief you on that," said Admiral Seize, glancing away, presumably at whoever he was speaking of. "He no doubt has a better grasp of the details than I do."

Seize stepped out of the way, and an ARC trooper stepped in to take his place. He was bald, and his ears were covered with a large, prominent device which appeared to wrap around the back of his head. Rex couldn't get a very clear look at it through the hologram, but his first thought was that it reminded him a little of the headsets young clones wore as they studied.

"General Skywalker," said the cyborg, expressionless in both face and voice. "You brought Captain Rex?"

"I did." Skywalker gave Rex a quick get-a-load-of-this-guy look as he came closer to the General, so that his image could be transmitted to the _Hurricane._ "And to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

"My designation is ARC trooper Zero-Four-Zero-Eight. Diode Squad is comprised of RC-Seven-Seven-Two-One, RC-Seven-Seven-Two-Two—"

"Wait a minute," Rex said, staring hard at the hologram. "I _know_ that number."

Skywalker held up a hand. "Why don't you two do introductions later? You'll have plenty of time to catch up once the Sergeant and I are underway. But right now, time's wasting. Just tell me where I'm going, trooper."

"Yes, sir," said the ARC trooper.

Rex had opened his mouth to say the same, but couldn't take his eyes off the hologram in front of him, trying to do the impossible and work out if he knew this clone who looked so different than last he'd seen the one that number belonged to. Echo was dead—they'd all seen him fall to that explosion, they'd all left him lying there on that landing pad in the Citadel, amid live fire from turrets and the clearing smoke of an exploded shuttle. There was no way this was Echo. But the number was the same.

"Your destination is Skako Minor," said ARC-0408, as if reading off a list. His voice was soft but rough, like he had a cough or sore throat. "Your objective is to locate one Erol Jaskes, a Verpine engineer. Although Skako Minor was colonized relatively recently, it has already become fairly populous for its size, and your presence as humans will be remarkable and possibly provoke hostility toward you. I have a great deal of information on the world and on Jaskes which I have already transmitted on a secure channel to your ship's databanks. Please review it as soon as possible."

"Now just hold on a minute!" Skywalker frowned. "I didn't give you permission to transmit anything to my ship. How do I know you haven't just infected my systems with this virus?"

"Impossible. I ran a thorough self-diagnostic before sending the data. I also condensed and revised it for you. For the sake of time, I left out the data which explains how I identified Verpine characteristics in the virus's effects, but I will gladly send that as well if you need it."

Rex thought this ARC trooper didn't look like he ever did anything "gladly"… or resentfully, or hesitantly, or with any feeling at all for that matter.

"Jaskes quit his job as a diagnostician at the Anaxes naval base only a few days ago," ARC-0408 continued, seeming oblivious to Skywalker's exasperated look. "Evidence suggests he returned to Skako Minor, where his family lives. There are rumors he has ties to weapons smugglers and is probably armed and dangerous."

"Okay," Skywalker said slowly, in a tone of forced politeness. "I'll take a look at what you sent me."

"Very good, General. If you need any clarification or additional information, I'm sure Captain Rex will pass along the message. There should be no risk of transmitting the virus between private communicators."

Rex and Skywalker exchanged another quick look. Definitely not Echo, Rex thought uneasily. Running right over the General during a briefing was not part of his memories of the kid.

"We will be sending a shuttle to pick him up right away. Any questions?"

"I can think of a few," Skywalker said half to himself. "But I'll wait until after I've read the file. Does Admiral Seize have anything more to say?"

"No," said the ARC trooper, without so much as glancing away.

"Guess I'll take your word for it," Skywalker said, and ended the transmission. "Think you can handle that guy's attitude? Let's hope the commandos take orders well."

"I'll be fine, sir," Rex said.

"He wouldn't be trusted with a mission of this magnitude if he couldn't respect the chain of command," said Appo.

"Yeah. And there must be some reason he requested Rex specifically," Skywalker said.

"General," Rex said. "That ARC trooper has the same designation as Echo did. I've never known the army to repeat designations before."

"Echo?" Skywalker looked at him blankly.

"Yes, sir. He was killed on that landing pad during the Citadel mission."

"Right. I remember now." The General's brow furrowed. "That is pretty unusual. You're sure it's the same one?"

"Yes, sir. Positive." Rex wondered if, to non-clones, memorizing the numbers troopers were assigned was difficult. For him it seemed as natural as remembering names, regulations, coordinates, and any of the other information relevant to missions. "I never forget a man I've served with."

"Well, I'll look into it if I have time, but for now, let's just focus on the task at hand. You'd better get down to the airlock."

"Yes sir. Good luck on your mission. You too, Sergeant."

"Thank you, sir," said Appo with a nod. "And to you as well."

…

Minutes later, the tiny shuttle had docked. The airlock doors slid open and ARC-0408 stood on the other side.

"Welcome aboard, Captain." The scratchy sound of the trooper's voice was even more noticeable in person.

Rex said nothing as he walked inside. It was halfway between a larty and an escape pod, with a small open area behind the cockpit. Four commandos in black stealth armor stood silently in a line against the wall, helmeted and anonymous.

"We'll be taking a freighter to Anaxes immediately," ARC-0408 said as soon as the shuttle was disengaged from the airlock. There was no one physically at the helm. "Diode Squad and I will then communicate with the primary computer system at the naval base and remove the virus."

"I have a few questions for you, _ARC-Zero-Four-Zero-Eight_," Rex said, arms folded. "First of all, why did you request me to lead this mission? If it's so simple for you five to remove this virus, why do you need someone like me with you?"

"We are specially designed to handle the technical aspect of this mission," the ARC trooper agreed. "But most people have difficulty working with Diode Squad. Their cybernetic enhancements make them fairly unresponsive to outside stimuli other than direct orders. I was sent to lead the group because I think more creatively than they do. But I recognize that my own modifications have made it more difficult for me to communicate with beings who aren't computers."

"So… you need a normal clone to help you deal with normal people," Rex said, glancing uneasily at the unresponsive commandos. "But you could have chosen any CO."

"I chose you because I've worked under you before, and personally witnessed your ability to handle any situation."

Rex's skin crawled under his armor. "Right. You wouldn't happen to have a name, would you?"

"People used to call me Echo." ARC-0408 said it in the same impassive tone. "But we are only referred to by number."

Rex stared at ARC-0408—_Echo—_disturbed in a deep, fundamental way. This was impossible.

"You died," was all he managed to say.

"I would have," said Echo, "if I wasn't chosen for this." The shuttle settled down inside the _Hurricane_'s hangar and the ramp extended. Rex watched the commandos file out in step with one another, and Echo turned to follow them.

Rex walked behind, staring at the device on Echo's head. One of the lights blinked intermittently. How could this be the same clone who was best friends with Fives, so earnest and devoted? The old Echo would have been excited to see a familiar face after an entire year. But this Echo was cold and distant in a way Rex had rarely seen among his comrades. Perhaps he was putting on airs in front of the squad… maybe the device suppressed his emotions, or maybe—Rex's gut clenched at the thought—he blamed Rex and the rest of his comrades for leaving him to die.

Admiral Seize was waiting for them outside. "Captain Rex. A pleasure to finally meet you. I've had a light freighter prepared for your transport to Anaxes. Please feel free to inspect it yourself."

"Thank you, Admiral." Rex saluted. "With any luck, we'll have you and the rest of the navy up and running in no time."

"Carry on, then," said the Admiral, glancing at Echo, and Rex got the distinct impression that the Admiral was glad to be rid of the ARC trooper. Echo and Diode Squad filed into the freighter, and Rex was about to follow when Seize put a hand on his shoulder.

"Careful," Seize said in a low voice, his eyes following the cybernetic-enhanced troopers as they entered the ship. "They call that squad the Bad Batch. I'm not sure what they mean by that. Watch your back."

Rex glanced away from Seize. "You think they're dangerous?"

"I don't know. Keep an eye on them is all I'm saying. I know you're a good soldier, Captain. Your reputation precedes you."

"Thank you, sir," Rex said. "I will keep that in mind. By your leave, sir."

The Admiral swept his arm toward the freighter and the two parted. Rex walked up the ramp and found the commandos had returned to their silent, statuesque positions. Rex stared at them for a few moments, then proceeded through the cabin and found Echo in the cockpit.

"Quiet bunch, aren't they," Rex said, trying to sound casual. "What were their names?"

"They have no names. They never have. Numbers are all we need." Echo said over the hum of the shuttle coming to life. "They're not even separate people, really. The cybernetics merge their thoughts together."

"No," Rex said under his breath, a trace of disgust coming into his voice. "We are _all_ individuals."

"Not all of us," said Echo.

"Then why do they even have individual numbers?"

"The components of any mechanism have names so that they can be identified for repair or individual use," Echo explained. "I'm aware of their numbers, and where each part of the unit is at all times."

"Does this thing keep you alive?" Rex gestured to the machine around Echo's head.

"My brain was damaged as a result of the blast," Echo said. His eyes unfocused as the ship departed from the shuttle bay. "Without it, my ability to process sensory input would be limited, and my movements would be severely uncoordinated. It also regulates my nervous system, circulation, and digestion."

"So in other words, it does most of what your brain used to do on its own."

"It helps."

Rex felt the disgust turn to anger, then stopped himself as he realized where that anger was directed. If the choice was between letting Echo die, and bringing him back as this shadow of his former self, he couldn't really say which was better. But to do the same to undamaged clones….

"What about the rest of them? Do they need this to survive?"

"Removing the implants is not advised. They were physically altered during pre-adolescence to allow for optimal cooperation between the technology and their bodies."

"Why? What did they hope to achieve? And… who authorized this?"

"The Kaminoans," Echo said, "hoped that the implants would give this squad of commandos a greater advantage over the droid armies. They didn't predict that there would be such a loss of independent thought. But with the right leadership, they can be utilized effectively against the enemy."

"Hmm." Rex turned away from Echo and looked out the view screen, trying to stop dwelling on how much their very existence unnerved him. "What's our ETA?"

"Three minutes."

Rex watched the planet swallow the view screen and told himself that it was useless to try and reconcile this Echo with the one he'd known before. That one died on the operating table, and this one… this one probably wouldn't even bat an eye if Rex told him that Fives was gone.

For a moment, he almost blurted it out. But he didn't want to see Echo's blank-faced response. There had to be some other way to see just how much of him was left under that headset.

"So," Rex tried, "where have you been this past year?"

"On Kamino," Echo said, still with that unfocused look in his eyes. "It took a few months for my injuries to heal, and for me to get used to the implant."

"You don't look too badly injured," Rex noted, but suddenly realized Echo could be more droid parts than human ones underneath his modified ARC trooper armor.

"It was mostly internal." Echo didn't elaborate.

"And now they send you on special ops missions with these commandos?"

"Sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Rex raised an eyebrow. "What about the rest of the time?"

There was a two second pause as they hit the atmosphere, Echo staring off intently. "I work alone, or go in for tests on the equipment."

"Sounds… exciting," Rex muttered.

The freighter shook slightly against the atmosphere's resistance. Clouds rushed up at them and flew away, revealing endless greens and blues intricately crisscrossed with the tan and silver of civilization. A few mountains shot off in sharp spears of white to the left. The freighter banked gently and circled down toward a particularly dense patch of the web, which grew in detail until Rex could make out nested levels of tall, interconnected buildings rising up the face of a hill. Then, just on the other side of the hill, the grey condensed even more into an enormous airfield, radiating out in strips from the main hub like colorless sun rays stretching over the land.

It was so silent in the freighter while they circled the base that Rex jumped a little when Echo finally spoke again.

"We are cleared for landing," was all he said.

"Do they know why we're coming?" Rex asked.

"Some of them."

The glimmering, sun-dappled city dropped out of sight as the freighter glided through one of the hatches in the hillside, and into the main terminal. Artificial lighting took the place of rays from Solis Axum. Rex saw officers and a few knots of troopers hurrying to and fro, the familiar harried order of a military establishment.

"There's our welcoming party," he noted, as a group of naval officers approached the freighter across the enormous hangar's floor.

The door opened, but Echo didn't move. The briefing was over, and it was time for Rex to take command.

"Let's go, boys." Rex led the way out, and Echo and the Diode Squad followed without hesitation.

…

"Captain Rex, I presume?" said the Admiral in front of the group. She was shorter than she looked—her confident gait, one hand on her hip as she halted, made her seem taller than she was, and her dark hair was pulled back in several braids.

"Yes, Admiral."

"My name is Tanza Bet. Admiral Konneck and I are in charge of this base. Right this way." Admiral Bet held her hand out as she began leading them toward a secure briefing room off the hanger. After both parties had finished funneling in, she stood at the holo console, though it remained dark. "I assume you've been briefed about our problem?" The Admiral leaned on the console with both hands, almost as if the gravity of the continuous fleet losses were threatening to take her down as well.

"Yes, sir. My team is specially equipped to remove the virus, if you don't mind giving us access to the central computer system for the base."

"If it was possible to remove the virus from here, I would be happy to grant you security clearance, but—"

"Yes, those pass codes would be helpful," Echo interrupted, staring off. "Either this virus built its own special firewall, or your station's security system's not bad. I can't talk it into letting me through to the infected area."

Admiral Bet looked alarmed. Rex cleared his throat.

"_We _wouldn't want to try bypassing it without your authorization anyway, Admiral," Rex said. Echo glanced at him and for the first time, Rex thought he saw something there: puzzlement followed by realization. But Echo said nothing; maybe Rex imagined it.

"No… you wouldn't," Bet said severely, glancing at Echo with a mistrustful glint in her eye.

"He's…." Rex began, but didn't want to excuse Echo's behavior too much. "He's responsive to direct orders, Admiral. He won't touch those systems again until you give the word."

Bet's eyes flicked back to Rex and she nodded slightly. "It would be useless anyway. We've already determined that the virus is being hacked into the base's system from an external source, elsewhere on the planet. You'll probably have to manually remove or destroy whatever device is enabling it before it can be eliminated from the system. Captain, I must impress upon you the severity of this mission. For multiple reasons, it must be undertaken with the epitome of both skill and tact."

Bet illuminated the console and a webbed display of structures and connections bloomed to light. "This entire planet is monitored by a highly sophisticated computer network. It is part of the reason we are able to maintain a balance between our city structures and the natural environment and ecosystems in every part of Anaxes. Military facilities have tight security which keep them separate from the rest of the world's network, as a safety measure. It is alarming, to say the least, that our hacker has managed to bypass the best measures our technicians could implement. But as you know, the virus exists in a nigh undetectable state of dormancy until triggered by the appropriate conditions."

"The virus is activated by the raw energy build up which occurs while a ship's weapons system is preparing to fire," Echo recited.

"Correct," Bet continued, "and there are many places around the planet that depend on ray shields such as those used by our ships," Bet said, and the emitter began to display images and information on various high security operations. "Those same systems are connected to other environmental controls which use high-energy tools, similar to a ship's weapons array. Perhaps you are beginning to see the larger danger present here. If those shields fail, soldiers will no longer be the only victims of this virus. There could be flooding, toxic waste contamination, or any number of other disasters right here on Anaxes. So far, there have been no accidents, and I would like to keep it that way."

"Understood, Admiral. We will proceed with all due care," Rex said.

"I'm glad to hear it, Captain. Is your squad is prepared for this task?"

"We are the best men in the Republic for such a mission," Echo said. "You stated that the virus is coming from an outside source. I recommend we begin tracing it immediately."

"We have already traced it within a few klicks. I shall pass this briefing to my associate, Admiral Konneck." Bet stepped aside, and a man took her place at the console controls. He was a spindly older type, balding with salt and pepper sideburns. His face was neutral at the moment; Rex could imagine it being kindly just as well as coldly humorless, but Konneck gave no indication yet which he leaned toward more.

"On behalf of the Republic Navy," Konneck began, with his hands behind his back, "and the Anaxsi government, in addition to the skill and tact underscored by Admiral Bet, I must ask that this case be handled… discreetly. We would do well not to draw too much attention to certain details… in order to keep our political stability during these troubled times."

"Yes sir," Rex said immediately, at a loss as to what he could mean.

"The area where the virus is originating is unpopulated, according to public records... a former disaster area from many years ago." Konneck drew up a display of what appeared to be a city. "But that's not technically correct. There are no human inhabitants, but the city is still populated by sentient creatures."

"City?" Rex skimmed the data, taking in bits of information: environmental trauma; high radiation levels; unrecoverable; off limits to all civilians; high fines for trespassing within five klicks of the outermost containment fencing. "This disaster destroyed an entire city?"

"Well, the infrastructure was mostly undamaged at the time, although I imagine it's fallen into some disrepair since. It's been like this for decades. For the most part, we've left it alone… you see, the surviving inhabitants are descended from the Mrlssi, who had joined joined us on this planet centuries ago due to a scientific partnership. To put it in extremely simplistic terms, most of them left the planet by choice when the naval families continued to rise in power, but a few elected to stay, and most of them never did much agree with our way of doing things. The ones still in Drann have resisted all our attempts to give them aid and refuge since the disaster, and are antagonistic toward the government."

Rex stared at the image of the birdlike creature that had appeared in place of the layout of Drann. This one appeared well dressed and manicured, with a fiery frill of feathers emitting from the back of its beaked head.

"This doesn't match the data I have so far isolated about the structure of the virus," Echo interjected. "This virus is Verpine in origin; there is no doubt in my mind. General Skywalker and Sergeant Appo have been deployed to capture the suspect: a Verpine, as would be expected."

"Indeed, it is possible our Verpine set up the virus and framed the Drann Mrlssi for his deed," Bet said, "but we are not so sure of that. You must not underestimate the Mrlssi. They may look like animals, but they are cunning scientists. They have a motive for planting this virus and undermining the leadership our planet operates under. It could easily be they who have framed the Verpine. Nevertheless, we don't want to accuse them while we lack proof. The public may take it the wrong way. It's essential that you complete this mission without creating an incident."

"Are they hostile?" Rex asked.

"These ones have been in the past," said Konneck. "But this will be a mission of stealth. Stay out of sight, and _do not harm them_. While Drann is officially unoccupied, the Mrlssi do have connections to powerful political sympathizers." Rex noticed Bet glance uneasily at Konneck. The politics of Anaxes were apparently more complicated than outsiders knew.

"They'll never even know we were there," Rex said.

"Very good," said Bet. "We don't know where in Drann the virus is being uploaded from; you'll have to examine the signals coming from within the city once you are inside. We will give you a city map, but it may be out of date."

"Yes, sir. What about the radiation?"

"Drann is still awash in radioactive particles. Seal your suits. That and your helmet's filters will protect you from exposure. If you remove your helmets, you will likely be contaminated. It may not be such a concern to you, given your position and lifespan, but still, best to avoid unnecessarily drama. Given that you are in fact still human, you will want to eat and use the facilities before entering the city, just in case this takes longer than expected."

"Understood," Rex said solemnly. He glanced at Echo and caught the ARC trooper staring at him. "We'll move as quickly as the situation allows."

"Any further questions?"

"No sir, nothing of special importance."

"Very good," Bet said. "It's just a short flight to the edge of the city. You can prepare and review the maps en route."

As they filed out of the office, Rex kept close step with Echo. "Got something to say?" he asked in an undertone.

"I was going to point out that there's no reason to suppose this mission will take very long. But then you said it, in fewer words."

Echo continued forward, but Rex noticed that his eyes weren't as unfocused as before, and seemed to wander over things rather than staying fixed on a single point in space. Maybe in the absence of a link with the station, he had a little less to look at inside his own head.

…

They were dropped off just on the inside of a tall electric fence. The fence marked the perimeter of the most intensely poisoned zone of the fallout area, and was guarded by a big yellow sign, large enough to be seen from two klicks away, labeled with the headers _DANGER, RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION, KEEP OUT_ and subtitled with catastrophe dates, a recently updated radioactivity survey report, and the mounting fines for trespassing. They were about three klicks northeast of the city. As they jumped down off the hovering transport, their boots met soft earth and a mat of lush plant life. It was going to be a bit of a hike in.

"Not exactly what I was picturing," Rex said .

Steadily they marched toward the setting sun, under a purple tangle of sirpar trees, and between gentle mounds of earth covered in speckled succulents and vines. As the sharp edge of Solis Axum slipped out of sight, everything became a washed out sea green under the light of the planet's single moon. The commandos scouted ahead at Rex's orders, and from his place behind them, the dull black bulk of their stealth armor slipped in and out of view like a hallucination.

The land was totally still apart from the occasional flit or chirp of an insect.

"City limits half a klick ahead," Echo said after half an hour of marching had passed.

Rex could see the tops of a few buildings over the crest of a little hill, like blackened teeth. He signaled for everyone to stay low, and together they crawled to the top of the rise and looked down into the shallow valley with their binoculars.

It was a city, alright. The buildings, averaging about ten stories, were close together, and Rex couldn't make out much detail past the outer layer. The layout would be good for staying hidden, but the limited vision would go both ways. About halfway around the western edge, the ill-fated reactor loomed, a giant corroding red and grey monument to disaster. The buildings were similarly weather-beaten and aged, many with broken windows, plants pulling their way up the walls. It was hard to imagine anyone lived here, and even harder to imagine they did so willingly.

"I'm not seeing any movement," Rex murmured. "Anyone else?"

"Negative," said Echo. "But I'm picking up several computer signals. The city is more technologically active than I expected. This will slow us down."

"Great. Any clue which one it might be?"

"No. We'll start with the nearest one." Echo pointed slightly to the left. "With your permission, Captain."

"Stay low. Diode Squad, scout ahead. We'll follow."

The commandos half-crawled down the hill, and Rex was struck with how normal this felt, even though he knew the men he was working with were far from normal. During a mission like this, there was never a lot of chatter anyway. He'd almost caught himself admiring the way the commandos moved in tandem before he remembered that they had little choice in the matter. When the squad had made a significant lead, Rex motioned to Echo that they were to proceed, and they began their own crouched descent.

Echo flung out an arm and Rex nearly collided with it. Everyone dropped to the ground.

"What is it?" Rex breathed after a moment.

"Seven-Seven-Two-Four saw something."

Rex waited with only the sound of his own breathing in his ear.

"Keffi," Echo finally said. "False alarm. Seems wild."

"Careful," Rex said quietly. "Could be part of a domesticated herd. Nobody said the locals don't have pets."

"Copy that." Echo said. "Holding position. Seven-Seven-Two-Four scouting further ahead."

Rex watched as one of the shadows moved toward an abandoned speeder propped against a crumbling wall. After a moment, a thick-maned Keffi came into view, turning its horned head and staring straight at them before it ducked to snuffle in the thinning foliage.

"There aren't any others within visual range," Echo confirmed.

7724 moved from the speeder, and the Keffi loped away, startled by his sudden movement but seeming unconcerned.

They waited once more as the commandos proceeded again toward the edge of the first buildings. Rex watched a small flock of flying creatures erupt from the path of the commandos and swoop some distance beyond his vision.

"How does anything live out here?" Rex breathed. "The animals and the Mrlssi... they should all be dead."

"Perhaps the contamination levels have been exaggerated. Or they've adapted."

"If the city was recoverable, the Anaxsi would have reclaimed it," Rex said.

"Maybe," Echo shrugged. "Maybe they don't want to."

"Do you think the Mrlssi really stay here by choice?"

"They've reached the city's edge," Echo said. "The route is secure."

A few minutes later, Rex and Echo joined two of the commandos in an alley. Public lights were on throughout the city, though it did little to lighten the atmosphere. The working ones created only a dim patchwork of illumination, continuously punctured in spots by flickering or a resonant quiver.

Rex waited for Echo to give some indication of their next move, acutely aware of how his and Echo's white armor stood out.

Echo signaled down the alley and they began a swift approach from one door alcove to the next, one commando in front, another behind. They held weapons aloft in a defensive position. Rex tapped Echo on the shoulder and motioned for the commandos to put away their weapons. They immediately holstered their weapons without even the faintest of external commands from Echo. Rex was starting to understand how he and Diode Squad worked as a single unit, each soldier a limb for the ARC trooper to direct with merely a thought of action.

Rex took a step forward and Echo grabbed his arm. _Enemy,_ he signed, and pointed toward a staircase and upward.

"Where's the signal?" Rex whispered.

Echo pointed above the staircase. So someone was inside where they needed to go. That would make things difficult, but it was not altogether surprising.

Echo led the way toward a metal ladder on a neighboring facade. There were archways spanning between the buildings. One of their two commandos started climbing the ladder, and Echo kept his hand on Rex's shoulder to keep him from following. The trooper slipped out of sight and soon, Rex was being gently pushed to follow.

They climbed two levels before stopping on a platform. A catwalk over a small alley connected their building to the one where the computer signal was emanating from. As they crossed the bridge, Rex saw light coming from behind heavy curtains in a third story window across the street. Rex could just make out the feathery semi-humanoid form of a Mrlssi as it passed the gap between the curtains. A light from inside flashed and changed irregularly—Rex wondered if they got holonet channels here.

"Something behind this wall is jacked into a larger network," Echo whispered. "But I can't tell yet if it's our virus."

"Is anyone on this floor?"

"Can't say for certain. Squad's got the perimeter."

Rex realized only one commando was still with them. The second had broken off and was nowhere to be seen. The street below them appeared completely devoid of life.

_Moving in_, Echo signaled, and the three of them moved forward toward a dark window facing out toward the street. The commando was melting the seal on the window within seconds, then he and Echo pulled the window out and leaned it lightly against the railing of the platform. The commando stepped onto the sill and disappeared completely into the blackness while Rex and Echo knelt beneath it outside in a patch of shadow.

The Mrlssi opposite passed the window again. Rex wondered how populated the city was. Did the creatures live alone or congregate together? Perhaps this single occupant was an outlier, and the rest were concentrated near the center of the city. Rex could barely think of a worse fate than languishing in a solitary existence, with no sentient interaction beyond the news of distant stars coming in through the holonet. He nearly shuddered.

"It's not it," Echo whispered.

"What is it?"

Echo shook his head. "Small comm. Someone's private window to the outside world. More than _that_ is," he said, nodding his head toward the Mrlssi inhabitant across the street. "We should destroy it."

"Destroy it?" Rex turned toward the window their commando had disappeared into.

"Of course. They are communicating with someone. Could be dangerous. There is supposed to be no outbound access due to the political situation."

Rex sighed. "What if they're just talking to family, friends? Seems wrong to cut them off. They're already cut off."

"What are your orders, Captain?" Echo asked.

Rex looked up to the sky; the moon was gone and clouds had moved in. Echo was right, of course. "Destroy it," he sighed.

Echo nodded, and after a minute, the commando returned from the inside and joined them on the platform.

"We're not here to hunt down all outbound communication. Once we find the source of the virus and eliminate it, the mission is complete and we're turning back, whether there are other signals around or not."

"You are correct, Captain, that is the mission objective."

"Let's continue," Rex said. "Are you reading another signal?"

"Yes. Several toward the center. Two klicks."

"Let's regroup one block south."

They met up with the rest of the commandos at the mouth of another alley, just beside what had once been a museum. There were some token signs of repair on the front of the edifice: holes patched over with bolted-on sheets of scrap metal, the sagging awning braced by mismatched poles. Someone had scrubbed half the rust off the plaque that had first given Rex an idea of what the building was, and some of the vines on the east side of the building had been clipped. But these efforts only served to make the building look even more pathetic, as if only one person had cared to save it and had disappeared before that care ever made a difference.

"We've been in the fallout zone a little over an hour," Echo said.

"We're making good time," said Rex. "Two klicks. That will take at least twenty minutes. Are you reading any others beyond this one?"

"I tried to spread my search radius through the comm. unit, and I detected a few other areas getting data out of the city. But I didn't see any evidence of the virus there. It doesn't seem designed to travel on those channels."

"So we at least eliminate those from the possibilities—" Rex turned his head at a soft rushing sound, glimpsed the odd texture rippling across the street's surface, and half a moment later rain began pinging hard against his armor and spattering his visor. "—that's what you're saying?"

"With reasonable certainty, yes. The ones two klicks away are the clearest choice for our hacker." Echo called up the map on his holo device and tapped the spot in question. "The signals are congregated together, about there, I think."

"We'd better get moving. Stay on your toes—we've got lower visibility, and it'll be harder to hear anyone sneaking up on us now."

Their two scouts parted from the group once more, and after a few moments, they had completely disappeared.

The rest of them jogged in fits and starts, making quick dashes across cracked pavement to the beat of intermittent gestures of _all clear_ from Echo as recon came back. Rex never saw the scouting commandos—they were too good at staying hidden.

At one intersection, Echo pressed Rex against the wall with him as a Mrlssi strutted slowly through the rainy streets, ruffling its feathers and half saying, half singing something in the whistling, warbling tones of its native tongue. It swung a cane from one clawed hand, the fringe of feathers on the back of its scaly head quite large and colorful, but diminished in appearance by its overall patchiness. The old Mrlssi never even glanced in their direction before passing on down the street toward a corner where two others emerged and sang brief greetings. The view of it was warped slightly by all the water on Rex's visor, every drop that struck momentarily smudging the image this way or that. Somehow, Rex couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at the sight.

Echo's chest rose and fell in the corner of his eye, and that sigh looked so human, waiting for the Mrlssi to clear out, that Rex again felt the dissonance of the present and the past and wondered if Echo was just pretending… if this was his version of growing up, becoming a better soldier. He'd taken what was handed to him, as they all did, but he didn't seem to feel happy, or angry, or tense, or _any_ of the myriad small emotions that made Rex feel alive. He simply existed now, and Rex wondered if that was the end of Echo's story, if every moment for the rest of his life would be the monotony of mere existence. And of course, even if it was, Echo wouldn't have the sensibility to view that as a loss.

…

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you everyone for your reviews! We've written through the next several chapters and are in the editing phase, so hang tight! Please leave a comment if you are enjoying the fic! Beware, back to back sads are inbound.


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